


Falling With Style

by KookieDoh



Series: You Can Fly [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Wings, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon-Typical Violence, Disney References, Fluff, Good Morgana (Merlin), Hopefully not OOC, Hurt Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic Revealed, Only one slightly saucy scene, because my girl deserved better, but it's not too bad I swear, fingers crossed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23526742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KookieDoh/pseuds/KookieDoh
Summary: Arthur's wings were magnificent: most of his feathers were a beautiful pure white of a white goshawk, except his primaries, which looked like they had been dipped in molten gold. His impressive wingspan would unfurl to its enormous length of eighteen feet, and they would launch him high into the air, until he felt like he could touch the clouds, before swiftly returning him to earth.It was a shame that only one person with matching wings could claim the title of Arthur's soulmate. Because Arthur suspected that he was beginning to fall for his dark-haired, blue-eyed, big-eared manservant. But Merlin wasn't his soulmate. He couldn't be.Because Merlin had no wings at all.
Relationships: Arthur Pendragon & Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Balinor & Merlin (Merlin), Balinor/Hunith (Merlin), Gaius & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin & Morgana & Arthur Pendragon, Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Ygraine de Bois/Uther Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: You Can Fly [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776148
Comments: 254
Kudos: 879
Collections: Mixed_Fics





	1. Come stop your crying

**Author's Note:**

> Onion ha say o everyone. This is the longest fic I've ever written - a whopping 83 pages long on google docs, and I'm nervous putting it out here. A few things before we start:
> 
> 1\. I will be posting two chapters every day. It's 18 chapters long, in total.  
> 2\. Every chapter title is a Disney reference. Whoever correctly guesses which movie it's from gets a virtual kookie.  
> 3\. Each main character has wings from a very specific bird. I will put a key of who's what and why I chose that bird in the endnotes. 
> 
> Alright, that's all for now! Enjoy :)

Merlin was born without wings.

Almost everyone in Albion had wings. It was extremely rare to see anyone without a pair. People would almost always wear them out in public, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone else with the same wings that they had. Hoping someone out there was their soulmate.

Of course, there were some who hid their wings: those who didn't want a soulmate. Those who were ashamed of their wings. Those who wanted to hide their wings from their soulmate in question. Or those who wore armour. But it was still obvious that they had wings - the large mound under their clothes signalling bound appendages gave it away.

So it was rare to see anyone who didn't have wings. And unfortunately, Merlin was one of the few who didn't.

* * *

When he was born, his mother wept for him. The midwife had cleaned up the baby, checked that he was healthy, before handing him to his mother and clicking her tongue sympathetically at her.

"It's a shame that he'll be alone, Hunith, but maybe he can still be happy," she said quietly before taking her leave, as Hunith rocked her son in her arms, tears still wet on her face.

The midwife's words were meant to be reassuring, but Hunith knew better. She had once lost her soulmate. She knew that being alone was a hurt that would heal, but it was the pity in other people's eyes that would be a constant reminder of that hurt.

Hunith clutched her baby to her chest and let her blue, merlin falcon wings come up to wrap around them both.

"No matter what, I will love you, my son. You don't need a soulmate, you have me," she whispered. "You may not have wings, but you'll fly just as far. My little bird, my little Merlin."

As she said his name, Merlin blinked his little azure eyes open and smiled a gummy grin at his teary mother. And Hunith and smiled back.

* * *

"Freak!"

"Bastard!"

"Abomination!"

Merlin clenched his eyes tight to stop the tears from escaping. He would not let them see him cry. He refused to give them more ammunition.

"No wonder why your father left! Maybe he knew you were coming and left to save himself from having a wingless freak of a son. Too bad your mother is too dumb to do the same."

That got him. No one - _no one_ \- got to say bad things about his mother.

"Hey, buttheads! Why don't you pick on someone your own size."

Ironically, the boy who had spoken was not much taller than Merlin, maybe even shorter.

The four other children laughed. "What, you? You're going to stand up for this freak? You're even more of a runt than he is!"

With a surprisingly loud roar of rage, the new boy launched himself into the air and flew straight into the first bully. Merlin gasped. The boy couldn't be older than eight! His mother told him that children normally only learnt to fly at the age of at least ten.

Meanwhile, the boy had moved onto the next child. The girl looked terrified of the wild, angry flapping of the boy's buzzard wings. She and the first boy, who now had a rather impressive black eye, immediately turned tail and ran.

The remaining two boys were much bigger and older than the flying newcomer. Maybe about twelve years old. Old enough to fly. They simultaneously pushed off the ground to attack. Their opponent's eyes widened and he desperately tried to dodge out of the way, but he was too slow. He went down hard enough that Merlin could hear the impact from several feet away.

Merlin ran forward and pulled one of the bullies off him. "Leave him alone!" The bully's wing flared out and smacked Merlin in the face, leaving him sprawled in the dirt. But his distraction worked in the other boy's favour. He managed to land a rather nasty punch into the stomach of the bully who was still on top of him. The older boy toppled off of him, wheezing.

The last bully seemed to think that the fight was getting more dangerous than he would have liked, so he growled and pulled his companion up by the shirt before running off after the first two children.

"And don't come back!" yelled the boy. He turned his grey eyes onto Merlin, who was still sitting in the dirt. "Hi, I'm Will. Nice to meet you." he extended his hand.

"Thanks for that. I'm Merlin." He took his hand.

* * *

"Hurry up, Merlin!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying! Instead of me hurrying up, can't you just slow down?"

"Where's the fun in that? I like watching you struggle."

"Gee thanks, mate."

"Anytime, Merls."

Merlin leaned against a tree as he struggled to catch his breath. Will, the cheater, was using his wings to propel him forward, up the side of the mountain.

"Remind me why we're going up a mountain again?"

"Because I want to show you something."

The jerk wasn't even out of breath.

"Whatever it is, it better be worth it. I have to be up early tomorrow, and it's almost dark now."

"Trust me, Merls, it's worth it."

After a few more exhausting minutes, the two teens finally reached the summit of the hill. Merlin let out a soft gasp at the sight that awaited him. "It's beautiful."

The sunset drenched the world in a warm orange glow. It set the wheat fields on fire and warmed the darkening forest around them. The sky was a tapestry of thick, fluffy purple clouds interspersed with pink and orange. A gentle breeze drifted up the side of the mountain and ruffled Merlin's hair and Will's feathers. Merlin closed his eyes and sighed happily.

"This is what it's like," Will said.

"Hmm?"

"This is what it's like to fly."

Merlin's eyes blinked open. He turned to look at his best friend. Will was standing at the rocky edge, light brown buzzard’s wings spread open, welcoming the breeze. Merlin couldn't help the twinge of jealousy.

"When you're up this high, and there's nothing between you and the clouds, you feel so... free. I imagine that is what it's like when you use your magic."

Merlin stepped forward until he was next to Will. "I guess so. But we'll never be able to really compare. I don't have wings, but I have magic. You don't have magic, but you have wings. It's the truth and there's nothing we can do about it."

Will turned to look at him. The sunlight turned his grey eyes brown; the same shade as his wings. "I just wanted you to know that everyone else may think you're grounded, but the ones who truly care about you know better than that," he said.

Merlin pulled him into a hug. He whispered, "I'm going to miss you, Will."

Will chuckled lowly. "Don't get into too much trouble without me."

Merlin let out a laugh as he released him. "You too."

As they stood on that little mountain on the edge of Ealdor's fields, the sun began to dip behind the horizon.

The very next day, Merlin set off for Camelot.

* * *

Hunith: Merlin Falcon

Will: Common Buzzard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wings Key ~ In order of appearance:
> 
> Hunith (and by extension, Balinor): Merlin Falcon
> 
> Hunith named her son after her and her soulmate's wings. Merlin falcons are small but fierce, which I think describes Hunith quite well. They are also prone to surprise attacks, so that's why I thought Balinor would suit this bird. These falcons are a striking blue colour, and when I think of a colour that matches Balinor and Hunith, it's blue, so yeah...
> 
> Will: Common Buzzard
> 
> Wikipedia sums it up quite nicely: "The common buzzard is an opportunistic predator that can take a wide variety of prey, but it feeds mostly on small mammals, especially rodents such as voles. It typically hunts from a perch. Like most accipitrid birds of prey, it builds a nest, typically in trees in this species, and is a devoted parent", I think this suits Will's character quite well.


	2. Hail to the Prince Arthur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter, as promised. More notes at the bottom! Can anyone guess where the chapter title comes from? Hint: zzzzz.
> 
> Also, a lot of the dialogue in this chapter is taken verbatim from the show.
> 
> Enjoy :)

Merlin's first impression of the city was that it was loud. Very, very loud. The hustle and bustle of the city created a constant buzz that echoed all around Merlin. The second thing he noticed about Camelot was the people. So many people. People talking, people bargaining, people walking, people flying… Merlin had never seen such a large group of people clustered together. And their wings! There were wings everywhere. Of all colours, sizes, shapes, patterns… Merlin couldn't help the surge of excitement as he made his way towards the castle, passing people on foot, and underneath some as they flew ahead.

When he reached the courtyard, there seemed to be an even larger crowd gathered around a raised dais. As he watched, a man with battered straw-coloured wings of a goldfinch that fluttered weakly in protest was brought out by two guards. A voice echoed from the balcony above the courtyard.

The golden crown that sat atop his brow gave his station away. The King of Camelot. The man who started the Great Purge. His great scarlet wings of a brahminy kite were spread open, the rust-coloured feathers stretching the width of the balcony.

King Uther gave a speech about the dangers of sorcery, before nodding his head, signalling the executioner, who had his wings bound underneath his clothes, to begin the execution. The man's head rolled. The goldfinch wings stiffened, as if in shock, and fell, like a puppet with its strings cut.

The crowd began to disperse, but a shriek of agony echoed through the courtyard. An old woman stood before the king, her grey-brown wings of an eastern screech owl, a shade darker than her hair, trembled weakly. She spoke of how she would have her revenge for the death of her son in a grief-stricken yet wrathful voice.

“Seize her!” called Uther. The guards flew forward.

But the guard's efforts were useless. The woman hissed out a spell and disappeared in a wisp of dust and rags.

* * *

The next day, Merlin was delivering medicine for Gaius' patients, after a stern warning from his new mentor about the dangers of practising magic, when he heard a voice call out, “ _Where's_ the target?”

Merlin's eyes found the owner of the voice. A blonde boy was standing a little ways away, his wings flapping against his broad back. Most of his feathers were a beautiful pure white of a white goshawk, except his primaries, which looked like they had been dipped in molten gold. Merlin thought he was beautiful. An angel maybe. But although the blonde was physically attractive, his personality, Merlin decided, was definitely not.

He watched as the blonde taunted the poor boy, making the servant fly with the heavy wood while he threw knife after knife at the target. Finally, the peasant landed and tripped over his own wings and the target rolled to a stop at Merlin's feet.

“Hey. Come on, that's enough.”

The blonde locked his cornflower blue eyes on Merlin's own azure ones. Merlin twitched.

“What?” White and gold wings flared out in confrontation, glowing in the light. They were bloody _enormous_.

Merlin didn't back down. “You had your fun, my friend.”

“Do I know you?” asked the blonde as he strolled over, sunlight glinting off his armour and his golden feathers. Merlin swallowed and stuck out his hand. “I'm Merlin.”

“So I don't know you.” He ignored his hand.

“No.” Merlin lowered it.

“And yet you called me 'friend.'”

 _What an absolute prat,_ thought Merlin. “That was my mistake.”

“Yes, I think so.” Merlin's impression was not improving. At all.

“Yeah. I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass.” Merlin snarked. He started to walk away but stopped when the blonde called out to him: “Or I, one who could be so stupid. Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?”

“Nope,” said Merlin shortly.

“Would you like me to help you?” he said with mock politeness. His wings rustled distractingly.

He could feel his magic churning. _No, not here!_ he thought desperately. Merlin's voice grew tight. “I wouldn't if I were you.”

The other boy grinned toothily. “Why? What are you going to do to me?” he asked. _Holy hell, his smile,_ thought Merlin.

“You have no idea.” _Stay focused, Merlin!_

“Be my guest!” he spread his arms out, wings extending jauntily, “Come on, come on!” The blonde leaned forward teasingly. _He must be - what - a few inches away? If I just lean forward-_ “Come on!” Merlin snapped back to attention.

The dark-haired teen swung his fist wildly, but suddenly the other boy was reaching out and had Merlin pinned in the space of a heartbeat. Merlin grunted in pain.

“I could have you in jail for that.” His breath ghosted over Merlin's ear. The squirming boy suppressed a shiver. Even though the light armour and the layers separating them Merlin could feel the toned torso of the blonde.

Merlin's arm was starting to hurt, all twisted up behind him. At least he didn't have wings, because in this position his arm would be putting a lot of pressure on the appendages. “Who do you think you are, the king?” he ground out.

“No, I'm his son. Arthur.”

_Crap._

* * *

Thomas Collins: (American) Goldfinch

Uther Pendragon: Brahminy Kite

Mary Collins: Eastern Screech Owl

Arthur Pendragon: White Goshawk + Gold Primaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a small time-skip in this chapter, it's when Merlin meets Gaius. Just assume everything went exactly the same as it did in the show.
> 
> I know Merlin may seem a little OOC when he's with Arthur, but just imagine it's like the school-yard bully is just that - a bully - but he's also, like, REALLY hot. So. Yeah.
> 
> And now for the wings. This one is going to be a whopper. Hold onto your seats y'all, there's a lot to go through.
> 
> Wings Key ~ In order of appearance:
> 
> Thomas Collins: (American) Goldfinch
> 
> I'm pretty lazy at the moment, so I'm just gonna copy and paste some info here: "Goldfinches fly with a bouncy, undulating pattern and often call in flight, drawing attention to themselves." I thought that Thomas drew attention to himself by using magic, and in the end, he died for it. Logic.
> 
> My source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id
> 
> Uther Pendragon: Brahminy Kite
> 
> The Brahminy Kite is a bird of prey with unusual red or rust coloured wings. More information as to why I picked this bird will be revealed later in the story, in chapter 11. I'm pretty sure it's going to be really obvious, but just allow me to have the illusion that I'm somewhat sneaky.
> 
> Mary Collins: Eastern Screech Owl
> 
> Again, I'm lazy, so... "Eastern Screech-Owls are active at night and are far more often heard than seen—most bird watchers know this species only from its trilling or whinnying song." Mary Collins is always either screaming or singing, so I thought, 'yeah, this makes sense.' The owl's plumage is designed to camouflage with trees: Mary Collins remained undiscovered amongst the people of Camelot until her son died, so I think her efforts of going unseen had worked more or less. Also, she disguises herself as Lady Helen later, another instance of camouflage amongst the people.
> 
> My source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/id
> 
> Arthur Pendragon: White Goshawk + Gold primaries
> 
> And now, the moment we've all been waiting for: "The white morph (genetic mutation) [of the Grey Goshawk] is known as the White Goshawk. The white form is the only pure white bird of prey in the world." I wanted an angelic look for our favourite Once and Future King, and I wanted him to be a hunter and the Goshawk is one of the best at its job. "The white-phase juvenile looks like the adult." Arthur is still only a boy, but he's already been thrust into the adult world, forcing him to grow up early. I mean, he led knights to slaughter druids at the age of, what, 15? The gold primaries are the only example of magic affecting wings, due to the circumstances of Arthur's birth.
> 
> My source: https://www.beautyofbirds.com/greygoshawks.html


	3. Beauty and the Prat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg. I'm jungshook right now. I woke up today and there are 83 kudos in less than a day???? Thank you guys so much! Here's the promised third chapter. It's much longer; I do my best to feed y'all, I know you guys won't complain. XD
> 
> Today's chapter titles are like the easiest ever. Also, shout out to Sheay95 for correctly guessing chapter 1's title: it's from Tarzan.
> 
> Ok, that's all for now. Enjoy :)

Gaius had managed to pull some strings and Merlin was released from jail. Only to endure a lecture from the physician, his great-grey owl wings twitching with annoyance.

The next thing he knew, he was outside, in the stocks.

_Splat!_

Merlin couldn't help but think that Gaius wanted this to happen. His suspicions were confirmed when he spotted his mentor laughing a few meters behind the children who were very enthusiastically tossing rotten fruit and vegetables at him. Some threw from the ground to have a better chance at getting him in the eye, while some old enough to fly hovered above him, raining produce down enthusiastically on his exposed head.

Eventually, the children ran out of things to throw. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief.

He noticed a chocolate skinned girl with beautiful wings of a scarlet-faced liocichla standing nearby. Her wings almost looked like a rainbow was painted onto the edges of her feathers. Now, this - _this_ \- was an angel.

“I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen.” The intonation at the end made it sound like a question. “I'm the Lady Morgana's maid.” Her wings shifted shyly.

“Right. I'm Merlin.” He stretched out his hand awkwardly, the chains clinking. She shook it. “But most people call me 'idiot'.” he smiled ruefully.

“No! No, no, I saw what you did. You were so brave!” she said.

“Or stupid,” he mumbled

“Well, I'm glad you walked away, you weren't going to beat him,” said Gwen.

“Oh, well - I could've beat him,” said Merlin pridefully.

Gwen tilted her head. “You think? Because you don't look like one of the big muscly fellows.”

Merlin frowned. “Thanks,” he said sarcastically.

Gwen's eyes widened, and her wings flared in alarm. “No! No, I'm sure you're stronger than you look - it's just, um, Arthur's one of the rough-tough save the world kind of men, and… well…” she trailed off.

“What?”

She paused. “You don't look like that.” She ducked her head in embarrassment, rainbow-coloured wings drooping.

Merlin, sensing her embarrassment, gestured her closer.

“I'm in disguise,” he whispered conspiratorially.

She let out a laugh, her wings perking us again, rainbow feathers glowing in the afternoon sunlight. “Well, I think it's great you stood up to him.”

“You think so?” he asked.

“Arthur's a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero.”

Merlin felt something warm swell in his chest. “Oh yeah?” he smiled. Gwen nodded her head.

Suddenly something caught Merlin's eye. He noted the refilled baskets and sighed internally.

“Oh excuse me, Guinevere, but my fans are waiting.” Gwen chuckled and flew out of range.

And so continued his punishment.

* * *

After lunch with Gaius and a rather odd encounter with the Lady Helen, who kept her wings bound for some reason, Merlin found himself walking back to Gaius' quarters, when he bumped into the prat, sorry, _Arthur_ , again.

“How's your knee walking coming along?”

Merlin continued on, ignoring him.

“Aww don't run away!” For someone who's supposed to be a prince, Arthur sure does whine a lot. _His voice was strained and slightly breathy - in any other situation - No! Bad Merlin,_ he thought chidingly. _Now is_ definitely _not the time._

Merlin stopped, pouring his jumbled thoughts into fueling his rising temper. “From you?”

“Oh thank God, I thought deafness was another one of your handicaps.”

Merlin spun around. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“I was merely thinking that your chronic dumbness would put a damper on things.” Did Merlin imagine it, or did Arthur sound a little apologetic? But no, that can't have been it. Merlin dismissed the thought.

“Look, I've told you you were an ass, I just didn't realise that you were a royal one. Oh - what are you going to do? Got your daddy's men to protect you?”

Arthur let out a laugh, _(I need to hear that again,)_ his wings shaking along with his broad shoulders. “I could take you apart with one blow.”

Merlin smirked. “I could take you apart with less than that.”

“You sure?” he asked casually, but Merlin could see the tension in his wings, which were bunching up in preparation.

Merlin pulled off his jacket, and Arthur let out another laugh. _(Victory!)_ One of the other men handed Arthur a mace on a chain, which he threw to Merlin. “Here you are, big man.” Merlin fumbled with it in surprise.

“Come on, then.” Arthur swung his own mace above his head. He started to advance on Merlin. “I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth.”

Merlin backed away slowly. “Wow. How long have you been training to be a prat?”

Arthur stopped. “You can't address me like that.”

“Sorry.” Merlin ducked his head in a mock bow. “How long have you been training to be a prat, _my lord?”_

Arthur faked a light chuckle before swinging the mace at Merlin's head, who ducked quickly. “Come on then, Merlin.”

Arthur chased Merlin through the market for a few minutes, swinging his mace at him every so often. Merlin thought he was doing rather well at avoiding Arthur when he ducked behind a bread stall. However, Arthur simply flew over it to land in front of him. Merlin was cornered, but he wasn't defeated yet. He lured Arthur into a semi-indoor setting, so the prat would have limited use of his wings. Merlin used his magic to tangle up Arthur's mace, trip him up with rope, get his foot stuck in a box (Arthur's loud groan threw him off a bit,) and moved things in the way of Arthur's large wings, which simply knocked down the obstacles with one strong sweep. Merlin, at one point, had managed to get Arthur on the ground, but he caught a glimpse of Gaius's grey wings and disapproving eyebrow in the crowd and Arthur used his distraction as an opportunity to whack him with a broom. The guards hauled him to his feet.

“Wait. Let him go.” The guards did as they were told and released their grip on Merlin's arms. “He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one. There's something about you, Merlin, I can't quite put my finger on it,” he paused, “but - no - it can't be.”

Merlin watched Arthur's large wings move further and further away in confusion, before being hauled off by Gaius for what was undoubtedly going to be another lecture.

* * *

“If I can't use magic, what have I got?” Merlin couldn't help the tiny waver in his voice. “I'm just a nobody. And I always will be. The only thing that's special about me is that I'm wingless, and isn't that such a wonderful thing?” he asked sarcastically, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. “I'll never have a soulmate. I'll always end up alone. The only thing that even gives me a sense of happiness is my magic, so if I can't use magic, I might as well die.”

Gaius closed his eyes and Merlin stormed off to his room.

Gaius allowed him fifteen minutes to sulk before pushing open his door and stepping inside. “Merlin? Sit up, take your shirt off.” He waited until Merlin had done what he instructed before cleaning out his scraped and bruised and wingless back.

“You don't know why I was born like this, do you?” Merlin asked.

“No.”

“I'm not a monster, am I?” He sounded so much like a child.

Gaius paused in his ministrations, hands cleaning over where Merlin's right wing should be. “Don't ever think that.”

“Then why am I like this? Please, I need to know, why?” he begged.

Gaius sighed. “Maybe there's someone with more knowledge than me.”

“If you can't tell me, no one can,” said Merlin sadly.

Gaius just handed him a vial. “Take this. It will help with the pain.” _The physical, maybe. But not the emotional,_ thought Merlin before downing it in one gulp. Gaius stood and left without another word.

* * *

In the morning, after Gaius had commanded him to clean his room and drop off Lady Morgana's nightmare tonic, Merlin sat in his room, absentmindedly tidying his room up as he thought of what the Great Dragon had told him last night.

The dragon was so bloody cryptic, that Merlin only had a handful of answers and hundreds of more questions. So apparently he had some sort of great destiny and he's meant to protect Arthur for some reason, who the dragon believes is actually someone worth protecting. Heh, yeah, right.

Merlin remembered how the dragon had answered his questions about his wingless state.

_“Why don't I have wings? What part does that play in my supposed destiny?”_

The dragon had just smiled and said, _“Do not worry, young one, you will fly amongst your brethren in time. Have patience, child.”_

What was that supposed to mean? Merlin can fly? How, when he has no wings? Brethren? Did the dragon mean other people? When will this happen?

Merlin's mind buzzed with questions. His musings were interrupted by Gaius.

“Good. You can actually see the floor again. Now off you go! You have places to be.”

Merlin grabbed the tonic before rushing out of the physician's quarters with a distracted 'goodbye' tossed over his shoulder.

* * *

Merlin walked through the open door, only to freeze. A gorgeous woman stood before a mirror, her velvety raven wings blocking out Merlin's reflection.

“You know, I've been thinking about Arthur.” As she walked behind the changing screen, Merlin noticed that when the light shined on her wings at different angles, they sparkled like green and purple jewels. The dark feathers gleamed in the light. The woman herself was beautiful: all pale skin, dark curly hair, and blood-red lips.

Merlin remained silent as the Lady Morgana continued talking. “I wouldn't touch him with a lance pole. Pass me that dress, will you, Gwen? I mean the man's a total jester. Just because I'm the king's ward doesn't mean I have to accompany him to a feast. Does it?” Merlin draped the dress over the changing screen. “Well does it?” asked Morgana. “Mm-hmm!” mumbled Merlin in a high pitched imitation of Gwen's voice. He cringed. Morgana didn't seem to think anything was amiss, so she continued to talk. “If he wants me to go, then he should invite me. And he hasn't. So do you know what that means?” Merlin made another pitchy affirmative noise.

“Where are you?” she asked, glancing over to Merlin. “Here.” he squeaked, holding a swath of fabric in front of him. “It means I'm going by myself.” she continued. Merlin tried to make his escape but halted when Morgana spoke again. “I need some help with this fastening, my wings are in the way.” He froze. “Gwen?” she called.

At that moment, Gwen flew into the room behind Merlin and landed with a confused look on her face. “I'm here,” she said. Merlin spun around and sighed in relief. After a brief exchange, Gwen moved forward to take care of her mistress, shooting Merlin an amused glance over her shoulder. He grinned in return before fleeing the room.

* * *

Gaius: Great Grey Owl

Gwen: Scarlet-Faced Liocichla

Morgana: Raven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAS GWEN AND MORGANA MY QUEENS (pun intended) ARE FINALLY HERE TO SMACK MY BOYS IN THE HEAD hehehehehe. No, but seriously, I love these two (not together, but I wouldn't mind it either ;D) and I strongly believe Morgana le Fay aka Morgana Pendragon deserved better and in my eyes she is a victim and I love her to bits and she just wanted to be loved and then she went kookoo but it's ok we've all been there.
> 
> Lol. Sorry. Don't mind the rant. I just have such STRONG feelings about my girl. Also, I miss socially awkward Gwen. 
> 
> Wings Key ~ In order of appearance:
> 
> Gaius: Great Grey Owl aka Da Big Grey Boi
> 
> Owls are a symbol of wisdom (thanks Athena) and if my man Gaius is one thing, is wise. "Great Gray Owls generally do not call attention to themselves and tend to avoid areas with people." If that's not Gaius, quietly helping from the sidelines, then I don't know what is. The owl even glares the same as Gaius. O,O
> 
> My source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Gray_Owl/id
> 
> Gwen, my bae (and by extension Lancelot): Scarlet-Faced Liocichla
> 
> I didn't really choose this bird because of any significant symbolism or anything, I chose it because it literally has a motherfrickin' rainbow on its wings.
> 
> Morgana, my other bae: Raven
> 
> Just read this: "you tend to see them alone or in pairs except at food sources like landfills. Ravens are confident, inquisitive birds that strut around or occasionally bound forward with light, two-footed hops. In flight they are buoyant and graceful, interspersing soaring, gliding, and slow flaps." IS THIS NOT MORGANA??? They are also like, really really smart, which also matched with my girl. And they are often used as a bad omen, hence the evil Morgana side.
> 
> My source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/id


	4. Once upon a dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I wonder where this chapter title came from??? HMMMM...
> 
> Anyway, this one is not as long as the previous chapter, but it's still lengthy. This is where the AU - canon divergence really kicks in, and a lot of plot happens in this one.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy! :)

The party was in full swing. Ladies and Lords had dressed up in their finest clothes and some of them had even added glitter to their wings. Merlin was confused: wasn't that a pain to remove? But what did he know…

He spotted a familiar pair of white and gold wings across the hall. Arthur was dressed in a blood-red tunic with gold accents that matched his wings. Merlin couldn't help but think that Arthur looked incredible. His wings seemed even larger than before, easily the largest pair in the room. Merlin's gaze lingering on the sleek feathers. _I wonder what they feel like. Are they soft? Stiff? What would it be like to comb my fingers through them?_ Merlin shook himself out of his reverie as Arthur pretended to punch one of his friends in the stomach, much to the amusement of his other cronies. Merlin rolled his eyes. _Still a prat, then._

Lady Morgana entered the room. She looked amazing: she wore a red dress that exposed her pale shoulders, she had her hair pinned up in an elaborate bun and her wings were oiled and gleaming in the light of the many candles.

“God have mercy.”

Arthur's voice was husky and deep. Merlin's attention was immediately trained on his exposed and rapidly bobbing Adam's apple. For some reason, Merlin suddenly didn't care what Morgana looked like, even as she passed between Arthur and himself.

Gaius noticed where his gaze was trained. “Merlin. Remember you're here to work,” he said, raising a meaningful brow at Morgana's back. Merlin didn't bother correcting him.

He watched as Arthur made his way over to his father's ward, before striking up a conversation. Gwen popped up by Merlin's elbow. “She looks great doesn't she?”

“Yeah.” _He does._

“Some people are just born to be queen.” _Wait, what?_

Merlin turned back to Gwen. She nodded proudly. “I hope so one day, even though they aren't soulmates. But even if they were, I mean, who would want to marry Arthur?”

Merlin viciously quashed the tiny voice in him that yelped _Me! Me! Me!_

“You sound a bit jealous there, Gwen.” She laughed loudly. “Oh Merlin, I like much more ordinary men, like you.”

Remember what the dragon had said last night, Merlin responded: “Gwen, believe me, I'm not ordinary.”

Gwen hurried to correct herself. “No, I didn't mean you. Obviously. Not. _You._ But just - you know - I like much more _ordinary_ men. _Like_ you.” she finished lamely.

“Thanks.” Merlin could practically taste the sarcasm.

“Like maybe a knight, or - or - or - someone gentlemanly. Not that I'm saying you're not. But. Uh. I always had a dream of settling down with my soulmate and - well - I obviously haven't met anyone with wings that matched mine or anything, otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation-” Merlin interrupted her gently. “Gwen.” she stopped mid-sentence and heaved in a large breath. “Sorry,” she said meekly, wings drooping. Desperate to distract her, Merlin said the first thing that came to mind.

“I want to settle down with my soulmate, too.” _Where the hell did that come from?_ Gwen's head snapped up. “But Merlin…” the pity in her gaze made him avert his eyes. “Yeah, I know. No wings means no soulmate. It's a stupid dream.” Now it was his turn to duck his head in embarrassment.

Gwen placed a gentle hand on his arm. “It's not stupid, Merlin. It's a wonderful dream.”

“Thanks.” This time it came out much more sincere.

* * *

Merlin was panicking.

Lady Helen was singing, her ethereal voice washing over the room, and one by one, heads began to droop tiredly. The room grew darker and darker, cobwebs appearing all over the sleeping partygoers.

Now, Lady Helen was making her way towards Arthur, still singing in that other-worldly voice. Merlin, hands clapped over his ears, watched in horror as Lady Helen raised a dagger.

_No! I won't let you hurt him!_

The sound of a chain snapping echoed loudly. The chandelier directly above Lady Helen promptly crashed on top of her. The effect was immediate. People began to awake, flapping their wings to be rid of the clinging cobwebs.

The chandelier had ripped through Lady Helen's wing bindings, and Merlin glimpsed a vaguely familiar pair of grey-brown wings. The woman shifted and Merlin let out a small gasp at the sight of the mother of the executed sorcerer.

She pushed herself up on shaking arms, before throwing the dagger right at Arthur.

Again, acting on instinct, Merlin slowed time and pulled Arthur out of the way of the dagger. But his wings were not fast enough to dodge the blade.

Arthur let out a cry of pain as the blade ripped through several of his primaries and primary covert feathers on his left wing, leaving a flurry of white and gold behind.

The witch collapsed, dead.

“Arthur!” shouted Uther. He dropped down onto the floor next to his shaking son. “Gaius!”

Merlin moved out of the way as his mentor knelt down beside the prince. After a few minutes of silence, Gaius looked up. “With rest, time, and medicine, he will fully recover, my lord.” There was a simultaneous sigh of relief from everyone in the room. “However, I believe that the prince should be moved to his chambers right away, sire.”

“Yes, yes. Arthur, can you stand?” When Arthur nodded, Uther gently hauled him to his feet.

“Wait.” Uther stopped at his son's voice.

Arthur turned to look at Merlin. “You saved my life.”

“Yes, a debt must be repaid,” Uther said. "You shall be rewarded."

Merlin shuffled his feet. “You don't have to, your highness.”

Uther didn't back down. “Oh, absolutely. This merits something quite special.” Merlin perked up at that. “You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant.” And back down he went.

Gaius stepped forward, smiling slightly. “Yes, I believe that would be a wonderful idea. After all, Merlin has been training as my apprentice, so he knows how to tend to the prince's wound. This way, an old man like myself needn't cross the castle grounds to attend to his lord.” Merlin shot a betrayed look at his mentor.

“Father!” protested Arthur weakly, but he was still leaning heavily on the king's shoulder, so his protests were easily ignored. The king had a group of knights carry Arthur to his chambers and that was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, Gaius ships them, and Uther is oblivious.
> 
> No new wings to talk about in this chapter.
> 
> However, I do think I need to include a quick lesson on bird's anatomy because most people don't know anything about it and it's kinda important to this fic, especially the next few chapters.
> 
> https://www.pigeonracingpigeon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/wing-anatomy.jpg <\-- this link should show a labelled diagram of a bird's wing.
> 
> See y'all tomorrow!


	5. Something there that wasn't there before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO Y-YO WHAT TIME IS IT? SHOWTIME! (like I said...) SHOWTIME SHOWTIME
> 
> Hello my ducklings, I have returned with new chapters (take a shot every time I say 'chapter') to feed y'all. Shoutout to the most wonderful FutureAlien for correctly guessing not only chapter 2, but chapters 3 and 4 as well: the title of chapter 3 is from Beauty and the Beast and chapter 2 and 4 is from Sleeping Beauty.
> 
> No one has guessed where the title "Falling With Style" is from, though. Your reward is a virtual kookie and a shoutout in the next chapter.
> 
> Both of today's chapter titles are also from one single movie, because both quotes just fit the situation so well. 
> 
> I also discovered how to add photos to my chapters, so you guys get to see what the birds look like without having to google it on your own.
> 
> This chapter is stuffed to the brim with fluff, so please enjoy. :)

That night, in Arthur's chambers, Gaius showed Merlin how to properly care for the injured appendage. 

“Are you sure he's qualified?” asked Arthur tightly, lying face down on his bed as Gaius poked and prodded the bent and torn feathers on his left wing.

“Oh yes, very qualified, my lord. I think you will find him quite useful.” Gaius said, not ceasing in his methodical inspection of Arthur's wings. “Now, listen here, Merlin. Do you see that? No - not that -  _ this. _ Honestly, Merlin. These feathers right here. They will need to be removed.”

“ _ Removed? _ ” squeaked Arthur, trying to roll over. For someone of his age, Gaius was pretty strong. Or maybe Arthur was too weak. It must have been the pain. Yes. And the witch's song. It still had an effect. That's why.

“They are ripped and bent and are therefore useless. So they will need to be removed. Use oil to massage the muscle. Once it is fully relaxed, you may tug out the damaged feathers. Gently. I will say this once more, Merlin, because I know you.  _ Gently. _ This process will take a while, and you should not rush it at all if the prince is to remain comfortable. Don't smirk at me like that. This is serious.”

“You're not exactly filling me with confidence here, Gaius.” groaned Arthur.

“Oh, Merlin knows exactly what to do to make this a painless process,” reassured Gaius.

“Yes, that's what worries me,” mumbled Arthur.

Gaius continued on. “You are to carry out this exercise every night, for a week, even if there are no more damaged feathers. It encourages healing. I'm leaving the oil here on the bedside table. Merlin, try not to misplace the bottle this time. I also have a comb that might come in handy later when removing the feathers.” 

He stood, brushing off a few of Arthur's feathers that had attached to his tunic. “Now, the king has asked me to inspect the guests for any lingering effect of the witch's spell. From observing the prince here, I know there to be no lasting effects except maybe tiredness. I'll go report to the king now, but I don't think my old joints can handle the trek back.”

“Don't stress yourself, Gaius. I've got this.” said Merlin, ignoring the muffled 'you have?' from Arthur.

Gaius nodded gratefully before making his way towards the door. “Oh and Merlin, I have a special book to give to you when you get back,” he said as he shut the door gently.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Merlin sprung into action. “So! Your Pratliness, how may I help you tonight?” Arthur merely groaned out a weak 'go away', before ducking his head under a pillow.

“Oh real mature,  _ sire. _ Now if you want your wing healed, you better emerge from your little sanctuary and sit up for me,” said Merlin cheerfully behind him.

“Why do I have to sit up?” asked Arthur petulantly.

“Because I say so,” replied Merlin, just as childishly.

Silence.

“Well, actually I wanted to put as little strain as possible on your muscles but Gaius told me that the back muscles are always in use, no matter what position, so I suppose it doesn't really matter,” said Merlin.

“So you actually listen to Gaius?” said Arthur as he slowly pulled his head out from under the pillow.

“Of course. But that doesn't mean I can carry out his instructions as well as he'd like.” The tone of his voice was still far too cheerful for Arthur's liking.

“That doesn't bode well for me.”

Merlin settled onto the bed by Arthur's left hip. “Let's not put this off any longer than we have too. I want to go to bed,” he said, uncorking the vial of oil.

Arthur crossed his arms under him and closed his eyes, bracing himself. “Let's just get this over with.”

The first touch made Arthur hiss in surprise. “That's cold.”

“Yes, well that's too bad.” came the blunt response. The hands returned.

Slowly, Arthur began to relax as Merlin's long, thin fingers rubbed along the underside of the muscle. Arthur began to drift off, but was jolted back to reality when Merlin whispered, “Beautiful.”

Arthur blinked. “What are?”

A pause. He must have thought Arthur was asleep. Then - “Your wings. They're beautiful.”

Arthur could feel himself blush. For some reason. He didn't know why. “Oh. Thank you. But I'm not some maiden in need of a compliment.”

“I know.”

Arthur wanted to see his face, but he didn't move.

“They're really big. The biggest I've seen.”

“Yes, I get that a lot. They're also very fast. And strong. I love the feeling of the breeze parting around me. I may be just a prince on land, but when I fly? I'm the king. The king of the sky. It's amazing.” Arthur could feel it now: the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. “But I suppose I'm grounded until my feathers grow back. It'll probably take a few weeks.  _ Urgh _ . It's going to be absolutely  _ horrible _ not being able to use my wings.”

Merlin said nothing. Even his hands had stopped moving.

“Merlin?”

No response. Arthur could feel Merlin sitting by his hip, but he wasn't doing anything. He sat up slowly.

“Merlin?” he repeated.

The dark-haired boy sat with his eyes closed. At the sound of Arthur sitting up, his azure eyes opened. “I was just imagining what it must be like. Up there. You think being grounded for a few weeks is bad? Well, at least you'll fly again, one day. But me? No. I've never known what it's like, and I never will. I'll stay on the ground while others soar and find their soulmates and I'll just be the one left who has no one and nothing and I don't want to be alone, I don't want to be wingless. I just want to have been born normal, like everyone else, but I wasn't and now I'll forever be alone and -” Merlin clapped a hand over his mouth as if he needed to force the words down. Arthur's heart clenched with pity.

“Merlin, I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me,” he said, as he slowly pried Merlin's shaking hands away from his mouth.

He looked at the younger boy. A mop of dark hair. Blazing azure eyes, behind a thin film of tears. Pale, sallow skin. Pink lips. Adorable ears. Prominent adam's apple.

Arthur felt a surge of emotion he couldn't quite place. So instead of acknowledging it, he turned his back to Merlin and gently guided Merlin's fingers to his injured wing again.

Merlin continued on with the massage for a little while longer, although now they were sitting upright. Merlin had shuffled forward for better access, before briefly moving away to get the comb from the bedside table.

“Tell me if it hurts?”

Arthur just nodded.

The comb ran gently over the damaged feathers, easily picking out the majority of the bent and torn feathers. Arthur barely felt a thing. In fact, the thorough grooming had him subtly leaning back, wanting more contact with Merlin's warm fingers.

Around five minutes later, Merlin put the comb down.

“I'm done,” he whispered, as if wary to shatter the atmosphere in the room.

“Oh.” came the reply. “Thank you.”

“It's no problem, my lord.” it was the first time one of Arthur's titles had come out of Merlin's mouth without sounding like an insult. Arthur couldn't help but smile up at him.

“Good night, Merlin.”

“Good night, Arthur.”

As he lay under the covers, Arthur decided he liked the way Merlin said his name.

_ Hmm, maybe this will go better than I expected,  _ thought Arthur.

* * *

Merlin thanked Gaius profusely for the spellbook and bid him goodnight.

He crawled under his thin blanket and sighed.

_ Why did I do that? Why did I say all of those things to  _ Arthur _ of all people? _

_ Maybe because he's not as bad as you once thought. Sure, he's a bit of a prat, but maybe the dragon was right. _

_Maybe he_ is _worth protecting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may shock you, but I have no idea how to care for wings. Lol XD.
> 
> No new wings in this one, just a truck full of Merthur hurt/comfort. Just what the doctor ordered. Two chapters a day keeps Corona away and all that jazz.


	6. It's a beast, he's got fangs, razor-sharp ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a major time skip in this one. Just assume that everything happens the same way as it does in the show. This is the chapter that really gets the ball rolling, so see you guys tomorrow for angst!
> 
> Lol please don't eat me. Enjoy :)

It's been several months since the night Merlin became Arthur's manservant, and over the course of Merlin's somewhat unorthodox employment, somewhere along the lines, Merlin found that he could actually call Arthur a friend.

The banter between them no longer carries the sharpness of their first and second encounter. Now their snarking was done with extreme fondness, obvious even to strangers.

Over time, Merlin's feelings for the other man had grown more pronounced, but he did not acknowledge them and instead chose to bury them under layers of friendship, in hopes that it would bide him more time. Time until what, Merlin didn't know. But he couldn't help the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach…

The sound of a twig snapping echoed in the early afternoon air. The rustling of leaves was heard, and out of the underbrush crept a group of men. Most were dressed in light armour and red capes, wings bound underneath their clothing for stealth. But two of the men wore leather jackets over cotton shirts, though the man with exposed wings wore clothing that was noticeably more expensive than the other.

“Merlin. Spear,” whispered Arthur, holding his hand out. Other than his wings twitching slightly, they remained still against Arthur's broad back.

There was a loud noise as Merlin fumbled to hand Arthur the wooden spear. Arthur rolled his eyes. “Do you have any actual gifts, Merlin?” he snarked.

“Well, I'm not naturally rude or insensitive.” came the sarcastic reply.

Arthur glanced at his manservant. _The light from this angle does wonders for his cheekbones. Not that they need any help,_ thought Arthur. He hoped his response covered up his momentary mental stumble. “Just naturally irritating,” he said, beginning to stalk forward, spear in hand.

The mist of the forest curled around the base of the trees. There was a screech. Arthur reckoned it was maybe a boar or some other large animal. So, therefore, it was his target. Unfortunately, it might be injured, going by the noise. Injured animals are usually more aggressive than healthy ones.

Arthur heard the sharp intake of breath from behind him. He heard Merlin shuffle his feet. Arthur turned back to reassure Merlin: “It's probably more scared of you than you are of it.” he murmured quietly. He saw Merlin's bony shoulders relax slightly.

Using hand gestures, he motioned for his men to split up to flank the target, while Arthur and Merlin confronted it head-on, but before any of them had a chance to move, something leapt out of the bushes.

It was monstrous. Easily ten feet tall. It had the head of a cobra and the body of a leopard, the two parts blending seamlessly at the neck. Its glistening emerald eyes glowed with malice.

All the men took a collective step back as it reared its ugly head and bared its fangs, which were about as long as Arthur's forearm and hand. Arthur's wings flapped wildly in alarm.

Unfortunately, the wild movement drew the creature's attention to the blonde prince. It hissed at him and lunged.

The men split up and raced back towards safety. Arthur's wings propelled himself forward to give him an extra boost every so often. But when he looked back over his shoulder, his heart dropped straight to his boots.

_Merlin._

He was lying on the grassy floor of the forest. The creature towering over him, standing on its hind legs. 

_No!_

Arthur flew forward as fast as his wings could carry him. He launched himself at the creature's chest, knocking it onto its back before making a wide turn to grab Merlin's arm as the creature struggled to its feet, snarling in rage. Without missing a beat, Arthur scooped up Merlin and flew as quickly as he could towards the retreating backs of his men.

“Merlin, why are you so _heavy_?” he groaned.

“Less talking, more flying.” Merlin panted out.

Eventually, Arthur's strength wasn't enough, so they continued to flee on foot.

After what felt like years, the hunting party came to a stop. Arthur did a quick headcount and came to the same conclusion Merlin must have: “Where's Sir Bedevere?” he asked.

And from out of the mist came the blood-curdling scream of a dying man.

* * *

Uther had declared that Arthur was to take his men to eliminate the Questing Beast, overriding Gaius' warnings.

Back in the physician's quarters, Gaius was explaining to Merlin about the true dangers of the Questing Beast. He told him how the magic of the Old Religion contained the power of life and death, and how the Questing Beast also carried this power.

“One bite, you die. And there is no cure,” he warned. Merlin ground his teeth together. _No second chances._

* * *

Arthur _hated_ binding his wings. Absolutely detested it. But, he supposed, it was necessary: they did make rather large, flashy targets. His bound wings twinged uncomfortably under the leather straps and the metal armour as he stood in the courtyard, addressing his men.

“You've seen the foe we face. It's a creature of nightmare. But you are the best knights in the realm, we can, and we _will_ kill it. Before it harms another citizen of our kingdom.” He drew his sword. “For the love of Camelot.” The line of knights copied him. “For the love of Camelot!”

“Arthur!” 

Arthur sheathed his sword and turned around. “Morgana, what are you doing here?”

She looked terrible: her eyes were bloodshot from a lack of sleep or crying or both. Her wavy hair was in disarray and there with tears on her cheeks. Her wings flapped frantically, dark feathers fluttered to the ground in her panic. 

“You cannot face it!” she cried.

Arthur trapped her wrists gently. “Morgana, go back to bed, there is nothing to be afraid of.”

Her eyes were wild and anguished. “Arthur, I have seen terrible things. You were an angel. An avenging angel. Please, you cannot go!” she sobbed.

Merlin stepped up. “She's been having bad dreams, sire, I'll take her to see Gaius.”

“No!” yelled Morgana, “I won't let you go!”

Arthur's heart clenched at the sight of her. “Please, get her inside,” he said quietly.

“No-!” shouted Morgana, struggling against Merlin's hold. Her wings battered against him, feathers falling out in earnest now.

Merlin tried to reassure her as the guards brought her inside. “I will keep him safe, my lady, I promise you.”

Arthur frowned in concern as Morgana's shrieks of 'no' grew fainter as she was led away to Gaius. 

* * *

_We should have listened,_ Merlin thought belatedly, as he watched Arthur as he swung his sword at the Beast. In the darkness of the cave, Merlin could barely make out its head. Its eyes and fangs gleamed in the reflected light of his torch.

To his horror, the creature roared and swiped its great paw at the prince, connecting solidly with his chest and knocking him out cold. He lay still on the rocky floor of the cave, sword clattering onto the floor beside him.

Merlin's heart lurched painfully. _No! Nononononononono-_

“Hey!” he yelled, swinging his torch around to get its attention. The Questing Beast turned it's acid coloured eyes on him.

Merlin summoned Arthur's sword and enchanted it with the same spell he used to enchant Lancelot's weapon when defeating the gryphon. He plunged the sword into the Beast's flank and it screeched in pain before dropping dead on the ground.

Merlin raced to his prince's side. He began to shake him desperately. “It didn't bite you, it didn't-” he stopped abruptly. He held up his hand. Blood. So much of it.

_No!_

Ignoring the tell-tale slickness of blood slowly beginning to trickle out from between Merlin's fingers, he shook his prince harder.

“Arthur! Somebody help me!” 

_Please. Help me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUNNNNN...
> 
> Cliffhangers are fun! I should do this more often...
> 
> Anyway, no new wings in this chapter either. However, I do have a bone to pick with the writers of the show: in the scene that I painstakingly watched over and over again to write into the fic, the Questing Beast CLEARLY smacked Artie away with its paw, and yet he's been bitten by the beast??? I have proof: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1icq9c at 7:00 minutes. Merlin even LITERALLY said "it didn't bite you", then in the next scene, Gaius just says "he's been bitten". LIKE WHAT... exqueeze me? Whatever, I'm not salty I promise. :P
> 
> See y'all tomorrow!!!


	7. I'm down to one last hope and I hope it's you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I hope you're having a good day because Arthur and Merlin's is about to go from bad to worse. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
> 
> You get some angst! You get some angst! Everybody gets some angst!
> 
> Today's shoutouts are kitncat for correctly guessing chapters 5 and 6 (both were from Beauty and the Beast), Mr_Ghost for being the first person to guess where "Falling With Style" comes from (Toy Story), and an honourable mention to UniverseGlitch for also guessing Toy Story.
> 
> That's all for now! Enjoy :)

“What happened?” ask Gaius as they lay the unconscious prince on his worktable in his quarters. He inspected the wound. “He's been bitten,” he said, looking at Merlin.

Merlin's blue eyes were wide with fear. “I tried to save him…”

“You must tell the king,” Gaius ordered. The guards nodded and left the room at a brisk pace.

“There must be something we can do.” pleaded Merlin.

Gaius sighed, grey wings bowing heavily. “I wish there was.”

 _I'm not giving up._ “I'll find a cure.” He said as he ran to get his spellbook.

“Merlin!” called Gaius.

“Trust me!” Merlin emerged with his book. “Here.”

Gaius scolded him. “The king will be here any moment!”

Merlin stopped his desperate rifling. “He can't die yet, it's my destiny to protect him. We haven't done enough things we're meant to do.” _He can't die yet, I need him._

“That is the lament of old men.” Gaius frowned.

“Gaius. He's my friend.” _I think I love him, Gaius._

“Then save him,” said Gaius quietly.

Merlin used magic to find the spell he needed. His eyes glowed the same shade as Arthur's primaries. 

No change.

“Maybe the spells need time to take effect.” murmured Merlin quietly.

Gaius looked at him in pity. “The bite of the Questing Beast is a death sentence and no amount of magic can overturn it-”

He was interrupted by the king's shouts of 'where is my son' from outside.

Merlin and Gaius looked up as Uther came flying into the room, his crimson wings knocking vials and books over in his haste. “Arthur!”

He ran to his son, and Merlin discretely magicked his spellbook closed.

“Do something, Gaius!” said Uther. Merlin was astonished to hear so much raw emotion in his voice.

“I am trying, your majesty.”

“Gaius will find a cure, he will not let him die,” said Merlin firmly.

“I will do everything in my power.” corrected Gaius.

Uther swung Arthur's arm over his shoulder. “I'll bring him to his chamber,” he said. He lifted his son in his arms and Merlin was shocked to see tears in his steel-grey eyes. 

* * *

“I have failed Arthur. Failed in my destiny.”

“And yet you would not be here if that were true.” The Great Dragon's voice echoed in the damp cavern.

“He was bitten by the Questing Beast. He's going to die.” _I didn't even get to tell him._

The Great Dragon asked, “Does he still breathe?”

“Only just.” choked Merlin.

“Then there is still time to heal him.” 

“I've tried, I cannot save him.”

“You do not know _how_ to save him.” Hope flared in Merlin's heart.

“But you can tell me how?”

“Perhaps.” The Great Dragon continued, but something in his tone had shifted. “It will not be easy.”

“I would do anything.” _Anything for Arthur._

“Anything?” asked the dragon.

Merlin was getting impatient. “Please just tell me what I have to do.”

“Very well. The Questing Beast is a creature conjured by the powers of the Old Religion. You must use the same ancient magic to save him.”

Merlin was confused. “But the Old Religion died out centuries ago.”

“The Old Religion is the magic of the earth itself,” growled the Great Dragon, “it is the essence which binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men.”

“But how can that help me save Arthur?” asked Merlin.

“You must find those who still serve it,” answered the dragon, “those who hold dominion over life and death.”

Merlin felt a newfound surge of determination. “Where?” he commanded.

“Go to the place that men call 'the Isle of the Blessed', where the power of the ancients can still be felt. There, you will discover Arthur's salvation.”

Merlin made to leave. “Thank you. Thank you.”

The great dragon stopped him. “And Merlin, the young Pendragon must live. No matter what the cost.”

Merlin nodded in understanding.

* * *

_Arthur was standing in his chambers, just staring out the window. The navy sky was punctured by the pinpricks of stars. Behind him, his wings were still and silent. Arthur breathed in heavily. Tonight was the last night. By tomorrow, their nightly sessions would cease._

_Arthur jumped in surprise as his bedroom door swung open to reveal an out of breath Merlin. Arthur rolled his eyes._

_“You're late. And honestly, Merlin, do you know how to knock?”_

_Merlin grinned cheekily and replied, “I only knock for people that I dislike, so you should take it as a compliment.”_

_Arthur huffed out an amused breath and made his way over to his bed, lying face down, as per their usual arrangement. Merlin made his way over to the bedside table. “So how's your wing? I can see that some of the new feathers are growing in. What's that like? Gaius told me it would be unpleasant, but hopefully, with the new pain relievers Gaius has brewed for you it would hurt less than it would usually. Do you always need pain relievers? I imagine regrowing feathers is like very concentrated growing pains. Speaking of pain, the tinctures are made from several herbs found at the edge of the Valley of the Fallen Kings-” he rambled._

_“Merlin. You talk too much,” said Arthur. He could feel Merlin sit down in his usual spot by his left hip._

_“Hey! These questions are for your benefit,” he said loudly._

_“No, they're for satisfying your curiosity,” said Arthur._

_There was a pause._

_“Well, yes. But it doesn't do you any harm to answer them anyway. And it's not like you've got anything better to do.” Merlin had begun massaging oil on Arthur's left wing, taking care to avoid the sensitive growing feathers._

_Arthur sighed. “Fine. My wing feels achy. Your assumption on what growing feathers is like is more or less correct. And no, I don't always need pain relievers, only when I have lost a large number of feathers from one spot on my wing.”_

_Merlin just hummed, digesting this newfound information. His fingers moved in the now-familiar rhythm they have established._

_“Today is the last day,” he said quietly. Arthur nodded._

_“Tomorrow night I won't see you,” said Merlin._

_“You still have to attend to me, you're my servant after all.” corrected Arthur. “Oh,” said Merlin tonelessly._

_Arthur scowled. “I'm sorry I'm such a bother, then.”_

_“Arthur,” said Merlin. Arthur ignored him. “Arthur. Look at me.” Merlin tried again. Slowly, Arthur turned his head, fixing his gaze on Merlin._

_“I'm happy about that, you prat.” he smiled._

_Arthur blinked in surprise. “You are?”_

_“Well, you are a massive clotpole, but sometimes, in rare moments, I find that I can tolerate your presence.” snarked Merlin._

_Arthur scoffed. “'Clotpole' isn't a real word, Merlin.” A pause. “And maybe. Maybe, I can tolerate you too. Sometimes.”_

_Merlin laughed, loud and happy. Arthur's breath caught in his chest._

_“Merlin, thank you,” said Arthur abruptly._

_“For what, Arthur?” asked Merlin._

_“For taking care of me,” he whispered._

_“Don't worry, I will always take care of you,” replied Merlin._

_Suddenly, Arthur's shoulder erupted in agony. He let out a yell of pain, as invisible tongues of flame consumed his muscles._

_“Arthur! What's wrong?” Merlin's hands were on his shoulders, stroking him, soothing him. But his efforts were in vain: Arthur was practically screaming as he clutched at his shoulder, his wings beat frantically, muscles straining._

_“Arthur, hold on. Help is coming. Just stay with me. Hold on. Don't worry. Just stay with me. Please. Stay with me. You have to stay alive, okay? I'm going to get help. I'm going to save you. You're going to be fine.”_

_Arthur's mind clawed at the encompassing darkness._

No! Merlin needs me!

 _“I had to tell you, Arthur. I need you to know.” A pause. “I think I love you."_ What? _“No. I_ know _I love you. And I just -” Another pause. “I just want you to be safe.”_

 _“I'm so sorry.”_ Sorry? For what?

_“Goodbye, Arthur. Remember me. I love you.”_

Wait! No, don't go! I love you too! Merlin-

_The last thing Arthur remembered was Merlin whispering, desperate and frightened, as thin fingers carded through Arthur's sweat-soaked hair._

_“I love you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooohhh dramama ramama ramama hey! Lol, sh*ts about to go down. Should I stop torturing them? ... Nah! This is more fun! For me at least XD.
> 
> No new wings today! Onwards, my fellow brethren!


	8. You poor unfortunate soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this chapter is much shorter than what I normally feed y'all with, but before y'all skin me alive, I have a gift for you guys: tomorrow, I will be posting 3 chapters! Whoop whoop!
> 
> And now, on with the show! Enjoy :)

“Hello?” The Isle looked deserted, and the eerie silence was beginning to get to Merlin.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind him. “Hello, Merlin.”

Whipping around, he saw her. “You,” he said.

She wore a ragged red dress that did nothing to complement her vulture’s wings. Her feathers were just as decrepit as her dress. Her wings were obviously uncared for, as great clumps of feathers were missing and Merlin could see the cracked flesh of her wing even from where he was standing.

“Do you know who I am?” Her voice was smooth and alluring.

“Nimueh.” breathed Merlin. “You can't be who the dragon meant.”

Nimueh cocked her head at him. “And why is that?”

“You tried to kill me.”  _ Yeah, that poisoned chalice incident isn't something I'm going to forget anytime soon. _

“Before I understood your importance,” she said as if that excused everything. 

“And you tried to kill Arthur,” said Merlin tensely. 

“Arthur was never destined to die at my hand, and now it seems I will be his salvation,” she smirked.

Merlin stepped forward slowly. “So you know what I've come to ask?”

“Yes.”

“Will you do it?” Merlin could feel his heart racing beneath his breastbone.

“I do not have the power to mirror life itself and yet give nothing in return,” she said.

“I know that a price will be asked.”  _ I'm willing to pay for it. _

Nimueh was enjoying this. “To save a life, there must be a death. The balance of the world must be restored.”

Merlin swallowed. “I willingly give my life for Arthur's,” he said clearly.

Nimueh grinned. “How brave you are, Merlin.” she sneered. “You escaped death at my hands, only to seek it out a few weeks later. How poetic.”

“I do not fear my own death, only Arthur's,” he said firmly.

“Once you enter into this bargain, it cannot be undone,” she warned.

“Whatever I have to do, I will do,” Merlin said firmly. “His life is worth a hundred of mine.”

“The pain you feel if he dies will be his to bear when you pass. Are you willing to cause such grief? And what of your family? Your mother? Your mentor?” said Nimueh.

“My family is safer without me. If I was discovered, they would have been named accomplices and killed alongside me. And Arthur-” Merlin closed his eyes briefly. “I am not his soulmate. He probably doesn't even return my feelings. He will survive.”

Nimueh said nothing more. Instead, she reached out, and a golden chalice ( _ why must it be a chalice, what is it with this woman and chalices? _ ) appeared in her hand. “The Cup of Life. Blessed by centuries of powerful sorcerers, so that it contains the very secret life itself. If Arthur drinks water from the Cup, he will live.” She held it up for Merlin to take.

Slowly, he walked forward to take it from her pale fingers.

Nimueh spread her tattered vulture’s wings and cast a spell that caused thunder to rumble and rain to fall, and gradually the Cup began to fill.

She poured the water from the Cup into a vial and handed it to Merlin. “The bargain is struck. It's a waste, that someone with so much power would suffer such a swift death,” she said as Merlin tucked the vial into his jacket.

Merlin left the priestess standing alone in the ruins as he hastened to return to his prince's side.

* * *

Arthur blinked awake slowly. His blurry vision clearing enough to see Gaius' weathered face framed by his grey wings. He glanced over Gaius' shoulder and saw his father's anxious face peering at him in the dim light of the candles.

“Father.” His voice came out weak and raspy, but that one word made his father smile widely.

“Arthur. I thought we'd lost you,” said Uther, sitting down next to Arthur. His wing came up to drape itself over the prince like an extra blanket.

Arthur smiled tiredly. “Don't worry, Father, I'm not going to die.”

“Gaius!”

The three of them spun round to face the door, which had been blown open, as Gwen flew in at top speed.

“Gaius, you're needed.” she panted.

Gaius straightened. “Who is it?”

Gwen's eyes were filled with tears.

“It's Merlin.”

* * *

Nimueh: Vulture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe well, there you go! Two cliffhangers in two days. Hehe. (Please don't eat me. *hides*)
> 
> And what's this? Is this what I think it is? Could it be? It's... drumroll, please... another wings key!
> 
> Wings Key ~ In order of appearance (but there's not much of an order if there's only one):
> 
> Nimueh: Vulture
> 
> I'm pretty sure this one doesn't need explaining. If there's one bird out there that just exudes nastiness, it's a vulture. Ok, maybe I'm being mean, but it's a flesh-eating turkey. Plain and simple. It eats dead stuff, and it's a 'scavenger', aka it doesn't want to do the killing itself, much like Nimueh resorting to underhand tactics to fight against our boys, like the poison and summoning Tristan du Bois (the Black Knight).
> 
> Honestly, I don't really hate Nimueh's character, she served her purpose in the show, but no one gets to poison by boi Merlin and not get bashed by me. It's a personal rule.
> 
> Anyway, see y'all tomorrow for a 3 chapter special!


	9. A guy worth fighting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings Earthlings. I have returned. And with 3 chapters no less! 
> 
> A special shoutout to FutureAlien (again!) for being the first to guess chapter 8's title: the Little Mermaid. Honourable mention to kitncat for giving me the same answer. As of now, no one has guessed chapter 7 just yet: I'm looking forward to your guesses.
> 
> Today's chapter title is from my favourite movie of all time :D
> 
> Alrighty, enjoy everyone :)

_ No. No, I must have misheard her. She said someone else's name. _

Gwen had started to cry in earnest.

“I was just talking to him. We were waiting to hear from the king about the prince's situation when he just  _ collapsed _ . He started to scream and he kept clutching his shoulder. I got him into bed and when I looked at his shoulder-” she broke off, scrubbing at her teary face.

Gaius strode forward and clasped her wrists in his hand. “Guinevere. You must tell me. What exactly did you see?”

Gwen took a deep breath. “It looked exactly like Arthur's wound.” she sobbed. “I left him there to get you. I should have gotten a guard to fetch you, I should have stayed with him, I should go back-”

“Gwen. You must calm down. You have to go on ahead of me and put pressure on Merlin's wound. Do you hear me, Gwen? Put pressure on it, even if it hurts him. We have to keep him from bleeding out.” Gaius said clearly. Gwen nodded before flying back to the physician's quarters.

“Forgive me, my lords, but I must go,” Gaius said, bowing to them. He began to walk after Gwen, his aged wings too fragile to carry his weight.

The Pendragons sat in shock in Arthur's chambers. Not five minutes ago, Arthur finally felt that all was well, that the danger had passed, but now - now Merlin was dying.

Arthur began to throw off the many blankets that covered him. He made his way over to his wardrobe and picked out the first shirt he saw, before heading for the door. 

“Arthur, what are you doing?” called Uther, who, up until now, was watching his son with wide eyes.

“I need to see him,” replied Arthur, not slowing down.

“See who? The serving boy? Why?” questioned Uther, as he followed after Arthur. “Arthur, you're still recovering. You need to rest.”

“Actually, I feel much better,” said Arthur, and truthfully, too. His muscles had stopped aching, and his wings felt as strong as ever. He gave them a few experimental flaps, before taking off at a much faster pace than before.

“Arthur! Stop this at once! You are a prince. You are not allowed to go flying after serving boys!” demanded Uther, following his son.

Arthur ignored him, and soon he was reaching the familiar wooden door of the physician's quarters. When he opened it, he was assaulted by the stench of blood and the sound of pained cries.

Merlin was writhing in the cot in the corner of the room, Gwen sobbing silently as she put unrelenting pressure on his left shoulder. Gaius was making his way back to the side of the cot with bandages, which he proceeded to bind around Merlin's shoulder tightly. Merlin whimpered loudly as Gaius forced him to drink a pain reliever.

“Shh, shh, I know, Merlin, this will make you feel better now,” he whispered soothingly.

Merlin's cry of pain finally forced Arthur to move.

Gwen was staring at her blood-covered hands. Arthur gently nudged her towards the washbasin on the other side of the room, before taking a seat next to Merlin's head. He began to run his fingers through the dark locks, as Merlin had done in Arthur's dream.

Uther strode forward to stand at his son's side. “Arthur, stop this nonsense. Come back to bed.”

Arthur glanced up at his father. “Please, father, I need to be here. I'll rest in Gaius' quarters, and with the physician here, he can better monitor me, right? Just, please. Let me be.”

Uther looked at Arthur. Something in his eyes must have shown the depths of his desperation because his father heaved a great breath and sighed. “Very well. But you must rest, you need to heal.”

Arthur nodded gratefully, and Uther left the room.

Arthur sighed as Merlin let out another whimper of pain, despite already taking Gaius's pain reliever. Arthur shushed him softly.

“Gaius, how did this happen?” he asked, not taking his eyes off of Merlin's face.

Gwen, who had finished cleaning her hands, sat down on Merlin's other side to take his twitching hand. Gaius sighed heavily from his position at Merlin's feet.

“Merlin was desperate to save you, sire, when you were bitten by the Questing Beast. So when he discovered an opportunity to strike a bargain, he did not hesitate to take it,” he explained.

Arthur frowned. “A bargain? With who?”

“He travelled to the Isle of the Blessed, beyond the White Mountains to meet with a Priestess of the Old Religion, named Nimueh. She was the woman who poisoned Merlin earlier this year.”

Gwen gasped. “He went to a witch?”

Gaius nodded gravely. “Nimueh offered a bargain: to save the prince's life, a life must be taken in order to keep the balance. Merlin offered his own.”

“You idiot, Merlin. How dare you offer your own life in my stead. I forbid you from ever doing something that stupid again.” said Arthur sternly to Merlin's fevered figure.

“How do we save him, Gaius?” asked Gwen in a small voice.

Gaius's shoulders slumped. “The same rules apply. If Merlin is to live, someone else will die.”

Gwen looked crushed. “So that's it?”

“No.”

Both of them turned to look at Arthur.

“No. This is not how his story ends. I will travel to this Isle of the Blessed and confront the witch.”

“My lord, you mustn't! You've only just recovered,” said Gwen.

“I don't care. Merlin needs me,” replied Arthur stubbornly.

“And what if you find Nimueh? What then? Will you offer your life? Will we be back to tending to your dying body instead? Think, Arthur! Will Merlin's sacrifice be in vain, because you decided you wanted to pick a fight with a powerful sorcerer?” Gaius countered.

“If a life must be forfeit in order for Merlin to live, why not forfeit the witch's life instead?”

Silence.

Arthur stared at Gaius, waiting for his response.

“She will be a powerful opponent. And if you are to kill her at the Isle of the Blessed, then Merlin must be with you when you confront her,” he said finally.

“Why?” asked Arthur. Carrying Merlin would slow him down and waste time. And Merlin couldn't afford that.

“Because only when Merlin drinks water from the Cup of Life, may the deal be complete.”

Arthur sighed, but nodded in agreement. “So it is settled. Tomorrow, I will journey to the Isle of the Blessed with Merlin, have Merlin drink from the Cup, and kill the witch.”

_ Merlin will be alright. He has to be. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of action in this chapter, just a bunch of fretting. Also, have I mentioned how much I love Gwen? She is, like, the most amazing person on Earth and I don't care what anyone else has to say about it.
> 
> No new wings in this chapter.
> 
> Since I had already finished writing this story, I was wondering if y'all would like me to do a series of oneshots in this universe about episodes not directly mentioned in this story, e.g. My boi Lancelot's entrance, the Black Knight, Valient and his snake-shield thingy, etc. Let me know if y'all would like me to do it! ;)


	10. Someday my prince will come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is possibly one of my favourite chapters to write. You can say it's the climax of Act 1 of this story. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
> 
> So without further ado... onwards!

Arthur rode hard. Sneaking out of the castle before dawn with a cloak flung over his distinctive wings, and Merlin's limp body in front of him, he galloped at full speed towards the White Mountains and the Isle beyond.

When he finally reached the edge of the lake. Arthur dismounted. He scanned the dock for the boat Gaius had described, but no such vessel appeared.

Snarling in annoyance, Arthur scooped up Merlin into his arms and discarded his cloak, his great wings stretching out to their full eighteen feet. He flew across the murky waters of the lake and landed at the centre of the ruins. He placed Merlin down next to an upright stone gently, before spinning around and drawing his sword.

“Where are you, witch?” called Arthur loudly. The ruins echoed his demands hollowly.

“Arthur Pendragon. What a surprise. I didn't expect you here.” Nimueh appeared a little ways behind him. Arthur brandished his sword.

She laughed. “You think something as trivial as a sword poses a threat to me? I am a Priestess of the Old Religion. Metal toothpicks will not save you.”

With a wave of her hand, the metal blade grew red hot. Arthur hissed and dropped his sword. It sluggishly melted until it was a boiling pile of quicksilver in the grass.

“Save Merlin,” Arthur demanded.

“You are in no position to be making demands here, little king. The only reason I will not strike you down is because of the future you will build.” sneered Nimueh.

“Future?” asked Arthur, momentarily thrown.

“Yes, one where magic runs free and peace and prosperity flourish,” she said.

“I highly doubt a peaceful future includes free magic,” he said.

Nimueh snarled. “Your father tried to eliminate magic from the land in the Great Purge, for no other reason except to diffuse the blame away from himself.”

“What?” asked Arthur.

“Tell me, little king, do you know the story of your birth? How when you were born, a thousand other children died?” she said, her blue eyes searing into his. “No? Well, let me tell you. You parents were unable to have children, and so Uther approached me, asking for my help. He wanted a son so desperately, you see, that he discarded my warnings that there will always be a price.”

“The balance must always be restored.” murmured Arthur, a picture growing in his mind's eye, one painted in blood and tears.

“Yes. In order for you to be born, someone had to die. And that someone… was your mother.”

Arthur's heart clenched in denial.  _ It can't be. _

“And your father, so angered by her passing, blinded by his ignorance, blamed magic itself, and so began the Great Purge. The mindless slaughter of thousands of innocent magic-folk.” Nimueh's words rang with truth and anger and grief.

_ It's the truth. _

“But if magic is so innocent, how come I've never seen it used for good?” he asked.

“Oh, but you have. And what is the reason why sorcerers try to attack you? Because they want revenge for the Purge.”

_ She's right. By God, I'm a murderer. I killed so many of them. _

“But there is a prophecy, that one day, you will restore magic, and atone for your father's sins by building a legacy of peace. I am not so selfish to cut off that future before it has even begun.”

And now back to the matter at hand. “Save Merlin.”

“Why should I?” she asked.

“Show me. Show me that there is good magic,” he begged.

“The magic of the Old Religion is not  _ good _ , nor is it bad. It just is. And if I save Merlin, another will lose their life. It is a pointless circle that must be stopped.”

Arthur growled. “So you will not help me?”

Nimueh just turned her nose up, and began to walk away, scuffed feathers rustling softly.

With a roar, Arthur launched himself at her back. Surprised, the witch tumbled to the floor. She let out a wordless yell, and a fireball erupted from her hand. She sent it flying at Arthur, who flew directly upwards to avoid the blast.

She threw another fireball at his large wings, but Arthur tucked into a barrel roll and made to grab at her own damaged appendages. Nimueh cast a spell and suddenly a large stone wall protruded from the ground in front of her. Arthur dodged to the side, flying in a wide arc, before tucking in his wings and dive-bombing the priestess.

His unexpected manoeuvre took her by surprise and Arthur slammed into her exposed back. He heard the tell-tale 'crunch' of bones breaking, barely distinguishable underneath Nimueh's scream of pain. Arthur made a hasty retreat - just in time to duck under a blast of fire.

Nimueh's wings hung limp and useless behind her, at an unnatural and undoubtedly painful angle. Arthur only managed a quick smirk before dodging a clump of rocks Nimueh had thrown at him.

They continued this game for a little while, but Arthur knew he had to finish this soon. He was getting tired and his armour was slowing him down, making him slower.

Finally, Nimueh seemed to get tired of waiting, so she conjured a thunderstorm over the Isle. Rain began to fall, lightning flashed and thunder crashed. Nimueh thrust out a hand at him and suddenly Arthur was screaming, crashing to the ground as electricity raced through his veins. 

Lightning. She had struck him with lightning. Arthur felt his convulsing slow to a stop. He saw Nimueh stand before him, grimacing each time her wings dragged against the ground.

“I should kill you.” she hissed. “I should snap off your wings for what you did to mine.”

'Why don't you?', Arthur wanted to say, but his jaw refused to open.

“Instead, I'm going to make you watch. I'm going to make you watch while I kill  _ him _ .” she pointed at the slumped form at the base of smooth rock.

_ No! Merlin! _

Arthur watched helplessly as she dragged Merlin's fevered body over to the altar in the centre of the ruins.

“I'm going to burn the heart out of you, Arthur Pendragon,” she said as she conjured another fireball. The priestess held the fireball directly above Merlin's heart.

“No!” choked Arthur.

The fireball was an inch away now. Arthur's eyes widened…

There was a bright flash of light.

And Arthur was flying. He was flying faster than he ever flew before. He felt his wings carve through the air as he shot at the witch. He felt his armour ripping off his body in sheets of metal.

He charged at Nimueh at such a speed, that she wasn't even fast enough to turn her head. He smashed into her and she slammed against the walls of the ruins, a good twenty feet away, and cracked her skull open on the rocks.

Arthur panted heavily from where he was crouched on the altar, Merlin protectively underneath him.

The prince stretched out his wings and froze when he felt it.

_ What? _

He looked at his wings and almost toppled off the altar in shock.

His feathers... were gold. Not just the primaries, but all of them. And not only that,  _ he had four wings. _

There they were. His two new wings, joined at his shoulder blades, like his original pair. 

Arthur stared at them for a second longer before lunging at the Cup of Life, which sat innocently on the floor next to the altar, filled to the brim with rainwater.

Arthur hurriedly poured the water into Merlin's mouth, rubbing his throat to help him swallow.

The prince waited for a few tense seconds, hoping for a miracle.

_ Please, please, please, please- _

Merlin's eyelids gave a flicker. His azure eyes met the cornflower blue ones of his prince. He glimpsed something gold in his peripheral.

“Arthur, what happened to your wings?” he whispered.

_ Oh, thank God! _

Instead of answering, Arthur leaned forward to capture Merlin's lips in a tender kiss. Merlin's eyes widened then fluttered closed a moment later, and he began to move his lips against Arthur's.

The kiss was full of passion, and happiness, and relief, and sweetness.

They pulled away a few minutes later.

Merlin looked like he was in a daze. “Am I dead? Am I in Avalon? Because you're an angel right? With those wings? Because Arthur has different wings. And I really don't think - mrff.”

Arthur pulled back from his lips, but not before nipping them affectionately with his teeth. “You're alive Merlin. Nimueh is dead. I traded her life for yours. And I don't know about my wings: one minute I was struck by lightning, the next, I had new wings and I was killing Nimueh.”

“You were struck by  _ what? _ ” squeaked Merlin.

Arthur laughed. “I feel fine, Merlin. Better than fine actually. I feel perfect.”

Merlin sighed in relief. “Oh, okay.”

Arthur tilted his chin up. “Did you speak to me while I was unconscious?” 

Turning an adorable shade of red, Merlin whispered, “Yes. You heard me?”

Arthur nodded. He touched his forehead against Merlin and wrapped his four magnificent wings around them.

“I love you, Merlin.”

“I love you, too, Arthur.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOP WHOOP MA BOIS ARE FINALLY TOGETHER!!! YAY!
> 
> Also, did anyone catch my Sherlock reference?
> 
> Soooo... I bet none of y'all was expecting that. If any of you guys have trouble imagining Arthur's new wings, just think of four gold angel wings. But if you still have trouble imagining how he could have four wings, just google "Cloudjumper from How to Train Your Dragon 2". It's basically like that.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you guys thought about this chapter! Let me know in the comments below.


	11. Oh I just can't wait to be king

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter concludes Act 1 and our 3-day special. I don't want to give too much away, but here's a quick reminder from the last chapter: Arthur knows about his mother and the truth of the Great Purge... DUN DUN DUNNN! He ain't gonna be too happy with his dear old dad.
> 
> Enjoy :)

The two of them returned to Camelot later that day. King Uther, Lady Morgana, Gaius, and Gwen stood on the steps of the palace at sunset, as the sentries had spotted the pair entering the lower city. There was a tremble in their voices, though. Something that they weren't saying. But the guards were not incompetent, they would have told Gaius if they were returning injured.

The four of them waited in silence. The light of the setting sun beyond the palace gates burnished them in warmth. 

Uther was angry. His son had disobeyed him. He would suffer the consequences.

Morgana and Gwen were scared. It was their friends who were missing, and they were almost out of their minds with worry.

And Gaius just wanted his boy home. Of course, he cared for the prince, but Merlin - Merlin was like a son to him. He could not lose him. He could not look Hunith in the eyes and explain that her son had passed while under his protection.

All four of them looked up as the sound of hooves on cobblestones alerted them to Arthur and Merlin's entrance. And they all gasped in shock.

 _“You were an angel. An avenging angel.”_ Morgana remembered what she had said that day when Arthur had set off to fight the Questing Beast. And she knew this was what she saw in her dream. Because, there, helping Merlin out of the saddle, framed by the light of the dying sun, was Arthur. But his wings were changed. What was once a single pair of white wings with gold primaries was now four solid gold feathered appendages.

It was Morgana who moved first, swiftly followed by Gwen. The Lady launched herself at the blonde in a crushing hug, while her maid gripped the dark-haired boy in a similarly tight hug, before switching partners. Once all the hugging was done, Gaius stepped forward, only to have an armful of warlock shoved at him. Merlin hugged his mentor tightly, laughing into Gaius' shoulder. He could feel the elderly man's tears of happiness wetting his jacket, but he didn't care. They continued holding each other, only until Merlin noticed Uther walking towards Arthur.

Merlin immediately grew tense. Arthur had told him what Nimueh had said about the Great Purge on the ride back to Camelot, so Merlin knew that Arthur held no small amount of anger for his father at the moment.

“Arthur,” said Uther shortly.

“My king,” replied Arthur just as stiffly. “May I talk to you in private, your majesty?”

The two Pendragons made their way into the castle, Arthur leading the way. As they walked up the front steps of the castle, people turned to stare at the crown prince, who looked every bit a king as he led his father into their home.

“He never addresses Uther like that,” said Morgana.

“Yes, and what happened to his wings, Merlin?” asked Gwen.

“What has become of Nimueh?” questioned Gaius.

Merlin sighed, and looked after his prince worriedly, before gesturing for the three of them to follow him into Gaius' quarters. “I'll explain in a minute. We're going to need to sit down for a while.”

* * *

Arthur pushed open the doors to his chambers and waited for his father to enter before locking the door behind him. He pulled out a chair but made no move to sit in it. Eventually, Uther sat down, but Arthur remained silent, standing before the fireplace, just watching his father.

His father looked old. He had grey hair and lines marred his face, and yet it was Arthur's first time noticing his age.

Arthur studied his eyes: they were hard and cold. Like stone. And they were angry and confused. Arthur thought it was ironic. He was probably feeling those two emotions right before he declared war on magic.

Lastly, Arthur observed his father's wings. Scarlet, as usual. The brahminy kite was a bird of prey, with a white head and breast with unusual red wings. The colour red is an interesting thing, isn't it? It symbolises passion and love. Arthur imagined that was what his mother embodied. But it also symbolises hate, and anger, and blood. For that's what his father's wings were. Drenched in blood. His mother's blood. Magic-folk's blood. Arthur felt sick when he realised that Camelot's colours were designed off of his father's wings and crown. He wondered how his mother could have possibly been a tyrant's soulmate.

“Arthur. Explain yourself, boy,” said Uther, unnerved by his son's silence and piercing gaze.

“I am not a boy.”

“What?” asked Uther.

“I am _not_ a boy. A boy is a child, a child is innocent. I am not innocent. I am guilty. But not as much as you are.” came the clipped reply.

Arthur watched as his father squirmed under his unblinking eyes. “What the hell are you talking about, Arthur? Guilty? You dare accuse your king?”

“YES, I DARE! I DARE TO ACCUSE YOU, UTHER PENDRAGON, OF MURDERING YGRAINE PENDRAGON, MY MOTHER, IN YOUR BLINDED QUEST FOR AN HEIR!” Arthur yelled.

Silence fell thick and heavy.

“So you know about your mother's death,” whispered Uther.

“Yes.”

Uther looked up, eyes blazing. “Then you know that it was not I who is responsible for your mother's death, but that witch! Magic is responsible-”

“You still don't get it, do you?” asked Arthur quietly. The perfect picture of an adult chiding a child.

“Get what?”

“You ignored the warnings Nimueh gave you. And the consequences of your ignorance was the death of my mother. This is already a grievous mistake. But then instead of accepting your mistake, and raising your son to be a king, you blamed the wrong party, slaughtered countless innocents, then raised me to be the next butcher. Did you want to leave a legacy of power? Well, instead you left a legacy of revenge. Magic-folk are either terrified of us or hate us. They attack us with dark magic in the name of vengeance or they hide from us in fear of their lives. If you had just accepted that you could not have a son, or that your wife was dead as a result of your own choices, the world would be a much safer and happier place. But no. Because you are weak, you couldn't shoulder your responsibility and so began an era of hate and fear.” 

“Weak? You call me weak? Ungrateful boy! I have given you everything! A kingdom to inherit, an army to command, a people to protect from evils such as magic-”

“YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!” screamed Arthur. His wings snapped open. He could see the shadows of them reaching across the stone floor, awash in the orange of the flames in the fireplace.

Uther scooted backwards almost imperceptibly, but Arthur saw his movements. He began to advance on his father.

“ _You_ are at fault. _You_ are a murderer. You may be king, and to the citizens of Camelot, or at least those who are not magical, you were a just king. And so I will let you rule. But I warn you, that times will change, and I will atone for your sins. You can disinherit me, it will not matter. You can exile me. But I will tell the story of the Butcher King. And they will all know what you really are. A leech. A blood-sucking, parasitic leech.” hissed Arthur.

“I can have you jailed. Or executed. What then, Arthur?” For the first time in his life, Arthur thought his father sounded scared.

“If you do either, the people will ask questions. And I happen to know, on good authority, that the people like me. You can lie. You can say I was a traitor. But there are people out there who know the truth. And on my signal, they will tell the public.” Arthur had Merlin to thank for this part.

Uther sat in the chair, overshadowed by his golden son, head bowed in defeat. “What is it you want from me?”

“You can live out the rest of your life as king. But you will leave all legal matters to do with magic to me. I will let you grow old in luxury, as a king of honour. I will save our kingdom once you have passed of natural causes.”

“Why?”

“Because I cared for you once, Father. I will not destroy everything you've built before your eyes. But I will not stand for any more unjust deaths.”

“And when I am dead? What will you tell the people? Will you drag my name through the mud?”

“No. I will tell them that you made a mistake, one I intend to rectify. I will tell them that you judged magic as a whole and found it guilty. And I will tell them that this is not completely true, so I will correct your mistake. I will tell them nothing more, and nothing less.”

“I suppose that is a mercy.”

“I will let you digest this information. Maybe, instead of me being the one who starts the changes, it will be you.”

Arthur strode out of the room, leaving his father staring into the fire.

* * *

Arthur sighed heavily as he pushed open the door to the physician's quarters. Merlin and Gwen were sitting on the floor, while Morgana and Gaius were sitting on the cot. All four of them looked up at Arthur's entrance.

Merlin stood and walked over to his love. He gently took his hand and gestured for him to sit on the floor. Merlin kneeled behind him and began massaging out the knots in Arthur's shoulders.

“I just finished telling them about what happened,” he said, voice as sweet as honey in Arthur's ear. Without thinking, he took one of Merlin's hands and pressed a kiss against it. He opened his eyes again to find everyone else staring at him.

“Uh, yes, I didn't tell them about that, though. I thought you might not have wanted me to tell anyone,” said Merlin, bony chest pressed against Arthur's wings.

“I want them to know,” said Arthur, softly. He avoided their eyes, afraid of the judgement he'd see there.

“Arthur.” It was Gwen.

Chocolate eyes locked onto blue. “You told me you were happy for me when I found my soulmate in Lancelot. So I will tell you now, I am happy for you, too, Arthur Pendragon.” Arthur shot her a grateful smile. “And you, Merlin. I know you were afraid you would be alone forever, and I'm glad you were proven wrong.” Arthur knew that Merlin was beaming that wide toothy smile from behind him.

“As long as both of you are happy,” said Gaius. “But you must be cautious about who else knows.” Arthur and Merlin nodded simultaneously. 

“Morgana?” asked Merlin.

She ignored him. She looked Arthur in the eye. “Merlin?” she asked the blonde. 

Arthur nodded. “Yes, Merlin.”

“Oh. My. God.” she said.

A pause.

“I thought you'd never figure it out.”

The two of them broke out into relieved smiles, and all five of them laughed slightly.

“So, how did it go with Uther?” Morgana asked.

Arthur sighed and told them what had happened in his chambers. When he finished, the others stared at him in amazement.

“You really said all that?” asked Merlin breathlessly. He sounded almost… hopeful.

“Yes,” Arthur said. Then he chucked.

“What's so funny?” asked Gwen.

“I just can't believe that it was Nimueh who finally got the ball rolling.” he snorted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was basically indulging myself. I have been waiting for ages for Uther to get the smackdown he deserved, but I got impatient and wrote it myself, instead.
> 
> I mentioned before that I would explain why I chose the Brahminy Kite for Uther Pendragon (and by extension Ygraine Pendragon), and hopefully, in this chapter, I explained myself.
> 
> Did anyone catch the Teen Wolf reference? Gosh, I just love Morgana. She and Lydia Martin are so alike in temperament, as is Arthur and Jackson.
> 
> Tomorrow: the start of Act 2, and the beginning of the end.


	12. Hellfire, darkfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOOOOOOO EVERYONE!!!!! Oh gosh, have I ever told y'all how much I love your comments? Honestly, I love every single one. So as a 'thank you' to everyone, you get ANOTHER THREE CHAPTER UPDATE! WHOOP WHOOP!
> 
> A few things before we get started: Firstly, today's shoutouts include FutureAlien (once again!) for guessing both chapters 9 and 10 (Mulan and Snow White respectively), CalmWaveofChaos for chapter 11 (Lion King), and one honourable mention - AsfaHan for writing this comment about Arthur's wings: "He evolved!! Now I'm thinking that his wings are of that of Digimon adventures and I'm cackling XD". I actually could not stop giggling for like an hour, so you get an honourable mention :D
> 
> Second thing: I will not explain Arthur's evolution (lol I'm still laughing about this) until the end of the story. I do this because I don't want to give anything away and because I love the theories you guys come up with. At this point, I will neither confirm nor deny any of your speculations ;)
> 
> Lastly, there is a MAJOR time skip in this chapter, as well as some massive changes from canon. You'll spot it as soon as you see it. If any of you are confused after today's posts, write up a comment and I'll explain as best as I can.
> 
> Alright, I think that's it. Enjoy :)

"Arthur! Arthur, wake up!" 

The prince woke with a jolt. Merlin's panicked voice spurring him into wakefulness. 

"Merlin, what's wrong? Slow down, I can't understand you when you speak like that." he soothed softly, carefully stroking Merlin's dark hair. His four wings cocooned the distressed boy within their golden depths.

After a few minutes of shaking, Arthur could finally make out the sorrowful words his lover was muttering. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. My fault. Stupid - I'm sorry. My fault."

"Hey now, shush. You're not stupid. Just tell me. Tell me what happened, my love. Come on, tell me, Merlin." Arthur's heart clenched when he felt Merlin's tears stain his nightshirt. "It's alright, my love, it's alright. Come now, tell me what's bothering you."

Merlin drew back slightly and locked eyes with his prince. 

"Arthur, I-" 

"Prince Arthur! You're needed: the sentries spotted a dragon flying over Camelot! It's about to attack!" Sir Leon's red-tailed hawk wings fluttered in panic, feathers flying.

As he gave his warning, the warning bells began to toll. Arthur ran to his window and was immediately introduced to a wall of fire. The dragon was burning his castle. Screams began to sound. 

"Ready the men! Evacuate the people! Regroup in the main courtyard once all civilians are out of harm's way." came the sharp order. 

"Yes, my lord." Sir Leon gave a quick bow before flying out of the room, ready to carry out his commander's orders. 

Arthur flew to his armour stand. "Help me get ready, Merlin." 

Merlin moved in silence and began to help Arthur into his armour, specifically designed to enhance flight and protection.

"How is there a dragon? There's only one dragon we know of, and that's your Great Dragon. But isn't he locked up below the castle? How could he have escaped?"

Merlin let out another sob. "I did it." 

"Hmm?" hummed Arthur distractedly as he strapped on his sword.

"I did it. I released the dragon."

Arthur stopped. He turned to look at the warlock, who had frozen under his glare. 

"Why." 

It was a demand more than a question. 

"In order to get the dragon to reveal how to save Camelot from Morgause's sleeping spell, I struck a deal with the Great Dragon: in exchange for the cure, I would have to release it. And so I used Excalibur to kill Morgause, and now I have doomed us all!" Merlin wailed. His tears ran unbidden down the hollow of his cheeks.

The blonde closed his eyes at the reminder of Merlin standing over the body of the witch, mottled grey harpy eagle wings still and silent. Lifeless. He remembered the bloody sword clutched in pale, shaking hands. He remembered Merlin's horrified whispers of  _ 'I killed her. Oh, God. I killed her.' _ and how the innocent light that had always been visible in Merlin's deep blue eyes had finally dulled. 

Arthur knew that it must be done. Arthur knew that the witch had to die in order to lift the curse. Merlin had told him that the dragon had said to destroy the source, and how Morgause's gamble of swaying Morgana to her side had failed, so she used herself as the source, thinking she was invincible with the Knights of Medhir to protect her. Arthur knew their plan was the best course of action - she would have expected an attack from Arthur, but not one from Merlin. But even though Arthur knew that they had done what was necessary, he wished it somehow could have been different. He wished he could spare Merlin from spilling blood, from losing his naivety.

But that was in the past. And at present, Arthur had to reassure his lover and save his people. 

"Merlin. I understand. You had no choice - you were doing what you had to in order to save us. So put it behind you. Our people need us." 

And with that, the Once and Future King and his Emrys prepared for battle.

* * *

**Three Days Later**

"For the love of Camelot!" 

Arthur launched himself through the air, wings spread, spear raised. His battle cry was echoed by his men: some soared alongside the golden prince, while others attacked from the ground, either on horseback or on foot.

The roar of the men was muted by the greater roar of the flames. The column of orange split Arthur's platoon in half. A couple of unlucky knights screamed and fell from the inky sky, to join their deceased brethren that littered the cobblestones of their city. The streets were awash with red, but not with blood: fire cauterised. No, the red was from the countless cardinal capes of Camelot's sons. 

Arthur grits his teeth and flapped his mighty wings again. The burst of speed enabled him to glide under the beast's fiery maw and around its golden head. He jabbed his spear at the back of the dragon's head. 

_ Clang!  _

The metal harmlessly glanced off of its scales and the wooden shaft of the spear snapped with the force of the impact. The dragon let out a screech of outrage and snapped its head around. 

Arthur's eyes widened and he folded his wings in tight, so that he dropped safely under the deadly jaws, and circled back to rejoin Merlin in the square. His landing was less than smooth but Merlin's strong grip kept him upright.

The blonde tiredly patted his lover's arm in thanks and stumbled towards the battlements.

Merlin spoke up. "Where do you think you're going?" 

Arthur huffed. "I have to regroup with my men. I have to-"

"Arthur. It is of no use. No weapon can pierce its hide. Nothing I try works either." interrupted Merlin. 

Cornflower blue eyes met azure ones. "You mean… you mean even your magic is useless?" 

Merlin nodded. "I've tried. The spell I used to help Lancelot kill the gryphon has no effect. Gaius says it's because dragons are not monsters; they are creatures of magic." 

Arthur rubbed his face, groaning when his ash-covered gloves stung at his eyes. "So all is lost." He felt Merlin lean his head against his own. The warlock said nothing.

Overhead, the dragon let out one last burst of hellfire before flying into the night, leaving the city smouldering behind it. 

* * *

Sir Leon: Red-Tailed Hawk

Morgause: Harpy Eagle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a quick recap: it is now the season 2 finale of the show, Kilgarrah is being grouchy, Morgause is dead, Morgana is still a bae, Merlin and Arthur are hopelessly in love, and Artie knows about Merlin's magic.
> 
> Whew. That's a lot. Don't worry, all of your questions will be answered soon!
> 
> Wings Key ~ In order of appearance:
> 
> Sir Leon: Red-Tailed Hawk
> 
> So my logic for this one is not the best. "Oh, the tail is red. Like his hair!" But then I realised that a bird's wings were the only part of the animal's anatomy that would be seen on humans (although it is actually impossible to fly without a tail. Whatever. Magic exists. 'Nuff said.) Anyway, I had to find another reason why this bird suited our bestest big brother: "In high winds, they may face into the wind and hover without flapping, eyes fixed on the ground. They attack in a slow, controlled dive with legs outstretched". I'm pretty sure this fits with Leon's character quite well, so I went with it.
> 
> My source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id 
> 
> Morgause: Harpy Eagle
> 
> "Ok, this bird looks weird." That was my first thought. The name was initially why I chose the bird, but then I found a website that was actually pretty interesting. It's not something I can put into words, so my suggestion is to read the website below and hopefully, you guys can see why I chose it.
> 
> My source: https://abcbirds.org/bird/harpy-eagle/
> 
> I'm sorry I can't be clearer, but it's just a feeling I can't describe, ya know?


	13. Can you feel the love tonight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, y'all. This is the one slightly saucy scene I mentioned in the tags. But I promise it's not that bad. It's like, some heavy petting and a bit of grinding but that's it. Trust me. Smut isn't my style, so I made sure not to do anything too outlandish. It's only really in one paragraph too, but if you're really not comfortable, then stop reading when it says "All he wanted was to let his lover have his way with him." You can start reading again here: "He gazed down at him with the oddest expression on his face."
> 
> Also, a quick reminder about wing anatomy --> https://www.pigeonracingpigeon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/wing-anatomy.jpg
> 
> Alright, that's all for now! Enjoy :)

The clopping of his horse's hooves provided a steady backdrop to Merlin's pounding thoughts.

_ Balinor. Dragonlord. My father. Balinor. Dragonlord. My father. _

On and on his thoughts went in a pulsing cycle. Questions - for Gaius, for his mother - screamed in his head. 

_ Why didn't you tell me? Where has he been? What is he like? _

The anger he had felt towards Gaius had cooled significantly, but he was still upset by his mother's decision to keep his father's story from Merlin.

_ I had a right to know. _

“You alright there, Merlin?” asked Arthur, peering over his wings at the frowning warlock. “You're being awfully quiet.”

They had reached the crest of the hill, where the road was finally wide enough to ride side by side. Arthur stopped and waited until Merlin had drawn his horse parallel to his before taking his hand.

“Merlin. What is it?” he asked gently.

The younger boy opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He closed it. He tried once more and this time, a whisper made it out.

“Balinor is my father.”

Arthur blinked. “Come again?”

“Balinor is my father,” said Merlin in a stronger voice. “I found out yesterday. My mother kept his existence from me in order to protect me because Uther was the one who killed the other dragonlords. He was hunting my father, who left Ealdor in order to draw Uther away from his soulmate.”

“Merlin,” said Arthur, “does this mean that you are going to meet your father for the first time today?” 

At Merlin’s nod, Arthur let out a breathless laugh. “Well, that makes it much easier to convince him to help us then! And you finally have a chance to bond with your birth father!” 

Merlin let out a toothy smile at Arthur’s exuberance. “Yes. I suppose so, sire.”

* * *

“We’re lost.

“No, we’re not.”

“Yes, we are. If you would just let me-”

“No! I can find him.”

“Arthur, let me use my magic. We’ll find him in no time.”

“No. We will find him without the use of magic, Merlin.”

“Why not?”

“Just… just because!”

“Very eloquent, sire.”

“Shut up.”

* * *

“We’re lost.”

“Yes, you’ve said that.”

“Then can I use my magic yet?”

“No.”

“Arthur, it’s been an hour, and we’re no closer to finding my father.”

“For the last time. No.”

* * *

“Arthur, the sun is setting.”

“...”

“Arthur?”

“Fine.”

* * *

“There. That’s better,” said Merlin, sinking onto the log next to Arthur. A few minutes of silence passed where the pair of them just sat and watched the flames of their campfire. Then - 

“Arthur, why didn’t you want me to use my magic?” asked Merlin quietly. “Did you… did you change your mind about it?”

Arthur sighed. “No, I didn’t. And I didn’t want you to use it because…” he trailed off. “Nevermind.”

Merlin turned to him. “No, tell me. I want to know how to make it better. Is it because it makes you uncomfortable? Do you want me to stop? I know it’s a really recent discovery, and it can’t be very easy knowing that someone with magic has been so close to you for so long, especially because of your father and-” Merlin fell silent at Arthur’s expression.

“I can stop using magic around you if you want me to, Arthur. If you need me to.”

Arthur sighed again. “It’s not that, Merlin. It’s just that I realised that all of my achievements since I met you are not really my achievements at all. They are yours. You are the one who defeated the Anfanc, the Sidhe, the Black Knight, Sigan, Valiant, Mary Collins, the Witchfinder, Lady Catrina. I-I just… I was just there. I just got in your way. I’m… I’m useless. Everything I do, I need you and your magic. I can’t find Balinor on my own. I can’t even light the campfire properly. It’s just easier to rely on you, and it’s not fair. You have it so much harder than I do, and I’m… useless.” By the end of his speech, Arthur’s shoulders had slumped, his great wings wrapping self-consciously around himself - a shining golden barrier that was burnished orange in the light from the campfire.

Merlin shifted over to Arthur’s side. He began to groom his outer left wing, a sweet reminder of how they first began to bond. He left the clearing in silence while he worked, allowing Arthur to calm down while he absorbed the new information.

Later, when Merlin moved onto the inner left wing, he started to speak.

“Arthur. My love. My silly clotpole. My precious princely prat. They aren’t my achievements. They are ours.”

Done with the primaries, he moved onto the secondaries.

“You are not useless. You are the Crown Prince of Camelot. You are the Once and Future King. You are my lover, my world, my other half of the coin. In the beginning, it was you who was the hero, and I the useless one. And now you claim it to be the opposite. But the truth is in between. Neither one of us is useless; we both have our part to play in our destiny.”

He had finished with the secondaries and had moved onto the primary and secondary coverts during his speech.

“It is true that my magic makes things easier. But not to my detriment. You claim that I have it harder than you, and if you truly think that, then either you have been shirking your duties, sire, or you really are a dollophead.”

He got a chuckle out of Arthur at that. Merlin kissed the golden feathers gently, before moving onto the alula and marginal coverts.

“You are the one who will bring our peoples together. Not me. I am just your protector. You will be the one that has to do all the heavy lifting.”

At long last, the two left wings were finished. Merlin stood, in order to move to the other side of Arthur so he could groom his other two appendages, but Arthur’s hand snagged out to capture his wrist.

They simply traded looks. No words needed to be said to express their undying love for each other. Arthur let go, and Merlin moved to his prince’s side once more.

* * *

Afterwards, once the fire had died down, leaving nothing but embers in its wake, Arthur pulled Merlin into his lap. The warlock went willingly, and tenderly cupped the blonde’s jaw with his hand, before leaning in for a kiss. Arthur responded eagerly and opened his mouth in an invitation, allowing his love to sweep his tongue into his mouth without resistance.

Merlin was surprised by Arthur’s submissive action, but he wasn’t about to complain. Not when he could feel Arthur’s enthusiasm beginning to show.

They kissed for a couple of more minutes, but eventually, they broke apart for air. Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur’s neck and touched his forehead with his own, and simply breathed in the prince’s scent.

“I love you,” said Merlin.

Arthur didn’t say anything back, but he did begin to kiss Merlin’s neck in his delight. Merlin sighed happily. After days of straining his magic, trying to keep the entirety of Camelot safe from the dragon’s fiery wrath, Merlin was exhausted even before the day's ride to find Balinor. All he wanted was to let his lover have his way with him. All he wanted was-

“Arthur…” groaned Merlin. He could feel Arthur’s hips grinding against his rear ever so slightly. “Arthur, please. I need you. I want you. Please, please my love, my king…” The blonde’s breath hitched slightly. Merlin blinked at him. “You like that? You like me calling you ‘my king’?” Another hitched breath. This time it was accompanied with a sharp jab of Arthur’s hips. “ _ O-oh! _ Yes… okay. Okay. Just-” Merlin let out a rather unmanly yelp as the larger boy flipped them over so that Arthur leaned over Merlin. He gazed down at him with the oddest expression on his face.

“What is it?” whispered Merlin.

“You’re beautiful.” came the husky reply. Merlin blushed. “Beautiful? Not very likely, sire.”

“But you are,” insisted Arthur, “You are beautiful. I love your hair, the way it falls into your eyes and curls at your nape.” A kiss to the crown of his head. “I love your ears, the way they stick out.” A kiss to each ear. “I love your nose, the way it scrunches up when you’re mad.” A kiss to the nose. “I love your lips, the way they can kiss me for  _ hours _ .” A kiss on the lips. “I love your neck, the way your adam’s apple bobs when you’re nervous.” A kiss to the neck. “I love your body, the way it drives me  _ insane. _ ” And then Merlin was gasping, clutching at Arthur’s back, careful not to disturb the feathers in any way, stroking along the place where feathers met skin, causing Arthur to moan at the sensation.

“And I love  _ you _ . Wings or no wings. Soulmate or no soulmate. You’re  _ mine _ . You belong to  _ me. _ And I to you. I will never let you go. And I hope… and I hope you’ll never let  _ me _ go.”

And with that, the night dissolved into one of love and passion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In all honesty, that was like 5% sauciness and 95% fluff, but I'm being paranoid. Better safe than sorry!
> 
> No new wings in this chapter.


	14. And at last I see the light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magic reveal explanation! Yipee! This is probably my second favourite scene to write, namely 'cause of Merthur and MA BOI LANCE AND MY GIRL GWEN ARE IN THIS! Whoop whoop. Also, more angst and more fluff because I'm that kind of person who likes one after the other. It's like baking: add the angst, then add the fluff. Stir generously. Bake in the oven. Et voila.
> 
> Also, a crap ton of italics in this. I swear to God my eyesight is like permanently slanted now.

Later that night, as Merlin was curled up against Arthur’s broad chest, his wings acting as four extra layers of insulation against the chill of the forest around them, Arthur dreamed. He dreamed of the day he truly discovered how much Merlin loved him. How much he had sacrificed for him. He dreamed of the day he found out that Merlin had magic.

* * *

_ Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot and Gwen were returning to Camelot after the fiasco with Hengist and the Wilddeoren. Finding Lancelot had been a happy surprise, and Arthur felt nothing but joy for Gwen as she rode alongside her soulmate, their matching  _ _ scarlet-faced liocichla _ _ wings brushing each other every so often. However the stress of dealing with so many battles against so many men, while having to protect both Merlin and Guinevere made Arthur’s head pound with a headache. _

_ Merlin kept giving him worried side glances. Eventually, Arthur noticed that his headache was miraculously beginning to lessen slightly. He shot a reassuring grin towards Merlin, who rolled his eyes in return. (Was it just his imagination or was Merlin’s eyes gold? No. No, it was just a trick of the light.) _

_ Suddenly, the forest exploded with noise. An endless stream of men in black with bound wings poured onto the road, charging at the four travellers. Bandits! _

_ It was just their luck that they were caught in this situation. Arthur growled in annoyance as he dismounted his horse swiftly and drew his sword from its sheath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lancelot do the same. They traded glances and an unspoken agreement passed between them:  _ If they want Merlin and Gwen, they’re going to have to go through us.

_ “Merlin! Take Gwen and go!” shouted Arthur as he clashed with three bandits simultaneously. He traded blows with one man, while his wings swept the other two onto their backs. Two swift kicks knocked them unconscious - Arthur didn’t even pause his duel. On his right, Lancelot made a particularly vicious swipe at his opponent’s leg, which crumpled underneath the man with a spray of blood. Arthur understood his uncharacteristic violence: the only thing going through his head was ‘protect Gwen, protect Gwen, protect Gwen.’ Speaking of which… _

_ “No! We’re staying with you!” yelled Merlin, Gwen standing just as stubbornly beside him, arms folded, wings quivering. As he watched, Arthur saw a hulking mass of a man tower over the two of them, swinging an enormous spiked club above his head. Arthur bellowed, “Merlin! Behind you!” _

_ Merlin and Gwen spun around only to be faced with the bandit’s club. Arthur let out an echoing yell, harmonising with Lancelot’s own cry as the club seemed to descend on their beloveds in slow motion. Arthur could do nothing but watch in horror as Merlin shoved Gwen out of the way, only to take the full blow of the spiked club. _

Why can’t I move?  _ thought Arthur absently,  _ why can’t I get to Merlin?

_ Merlin smashed against the floor of the forest, his shirt awash with blood and his flesh torn open by the spikes. Distantly, Arthur was aware of Merlin’s scream of pain. The agonised yowls seemed to speed up time until suddenly, Arthur shot forward with a powerful push of his wings and the large bandit who hurt Merlin was impaled on Excalibur. _

_ Once the bandit was dead, his dastardly comrades seemed to decide that they were not worth the trouble and melted away into the trees. _

_ Arthur dropped to his knees beside Merlin, hands fluttering over his bloodied body, wings arching over him protectively. The prince felt the gentle but firm hand of Lancelot pull him away from Merlin as he knelt in Arthur’s place. The brunet swiftly pulled out Gwen’s travelling cloak from his satchel. He glanced at her for permission and when he received a nod, Lancelot firmly pressed the cloak over the worst of the injuries, trying to staunch the blood flow. Merlin moaned in agony, and Arthur broke out of his stupor. _

_ He carefully placed the younger boy’s head in his lap. He tapped his cheek. “Merlin. Merlin, can you hear me?” All he got in response was the faint flutter of long eyelashes. Arthur tried again and this time, he got Merlin’s pain-fogged eyes to open. _

_ “Merlin! That’s it! Stay awake now. We’ll get you to Gaius soon, okay?” Arthur soothed. _

_ Suddenly, Arthur’s whispered words were drowned out by Lancelot’s loud hiss of displeasure. Arthur’s head snapped up. “What is it?” _

_ Lancelot growled lowly. His rainbow-coloured wings bristled and fluffed up in anxiousness. “The bleeding won't stop. He’s losing too much blood. We have to get him to Gaius.” _

_ Arthur frowned. “But Camelot is a few days ride yet. And I can’t fly that far with him in my arms.” _

_ “I know.” came the stiff reply. _

_ “So what are we supposed to do?” asked Gwen, who was holding Merlin’s clammy hand in her own. _

_ Lancelot cursed colourfully. The others stared at him in shock. The brunet spoke quickly. “Gwen, take my place. Keep pressing down, lean over him if you have to. Arthur, stand back. I need to talk to Merlin.” _

_ Gwen immediately shifted so she could continue putting pressure on Merlin’s wound, her face shuttered and stoic, a stark contrast to how she acted when Merlin was injured as a result of saving Arthur’s life from the Questing Beast.  _

_ As Lancelot came round to Merlin’s head, Arthur exclaimed, “Wait, what’s happening?” _

_ “No time to explain.  _ Move, Arthur! _ ” Arthur did so reluctantly. _

_ Lancelot grasped Merlin’s face in his hands and shook him slightly. “Merlin, Merlin you need to listen to me. You need to heal yourself. Do you hear me? You need to use your magic.” _

_ The man ignored Arthur’s gasp behind him and continued to speak to his injured friend. “You have to save yourself. Use your magic, and heal your wounds, Merlin. Otherwise, you’ll die.” Merlin made no sign that he heard Lancelot’s words, his eyes rolled listlessly in their sockets. _

_ “Merlin.” barked Lancelot. “If you die, who will protect Arthur? Who will love him? Merlin, Arthur needs you.” _

_ And slowly but surely, Merlin’s eyes went from dull to blazing. What Arthur always passed off as a trick of the light was now crystal clear: his eyes were no longer blue at all. They burned with molten gold light. The same shade as Arthur’s wings. _

_ Gwen’s audible intake of breath caused both men to refocus on the wound. The bleeding had stopped abruptly, and the skin began to inch closer until all that was left of the puncture wound was a rough scar. Even the myriad of bruises began to heal, leaving them yellow and green instead of blue and black. Arthur could hear the crunch of bones reassembling; most likely Merlin’s cracked ribs. _

_ Finally, the glow of magic faded from Merlin’s eyes, which were honed in on Arthur’s blank expression. Lancelot and Gwen seemed to sense their need for privacy, so they took a few steps back to allow the couple to air their grievances. _

_ “Arthur? Say something. Please?” Merlin’s voice was hesitant, but Arthur could hear no indication that he was in pain. His face was pinched with worry, but not hurt. His posture was defensive, submissive, but not hunched over to alleviate pressure on his wounds. _

_ “I understand if you h-hate me. I understand if you want to banish me or even e-execute me. But please, sire, know that I only used it to protect you. My magic is only for you, only for my prince. And know that my f-feelings for you were no lie. I  _ do _ love you, Arthur. I do. So much. But - oh for God’s sake Arthur! Say something! Anything! Yell at me. Curse me. Hit me! I don’t care! Just don’t stand there like a statue and-” Merlin swallowed abruptly as Arthur stepped forward. _

_ “A-Arthur?” _

_ The prince continued to stay silent as he knelt by Merlin’s side. His shaking hand made its way to hover over Merlin’s heart. The warlock trembled minutely. Slowly, Arthur lowered his hand until he could feel Merlin’s racing heartbeat through his fingertips. A gust of air he didn’t even know he was holding in rushed out. _

_ “You’re okay.” he breathed. _

_ “W-what?” choked Merlin, “Arthur?” _

_ “You’re not hurt,” said Arthur. He let out a teary laugh. “You’re okay! I thought you were dying. I thought I was going to lose you.” When had he started crying? _

_ “You-you’re not mad?” asked Merlin. _

_ “I’m not mad that you have magic. I already know that magic isn’t evil. But I am hurt that you thought you needed to keep this from me.” said Arthur. He pulled Merlin close. His wings draped over his charge like a feathery golden blanket. _

_ “I was born with it.” said Merlin, “I could levitate objects around our house while I was still in my cot.” _

_ Arthur laughed, “I respect your mother even more now.” He turned to Lancelot and Gwen. “You both knew?” _

_ Lancelot stepped forward, ever the honest and honourable man he was. “No, just I, my lord. Gwen knew nothing about his magic. And even I only discovered it after the incident with the gryphon.” _

_ “The gryphon,” said Arthur. His eyes widened in realisation. He looked at Merlin. “That was you!” He ignored Merlin’s mutterings about how it was technically Lancelot who killed the beast. “You were the one who was protecting me all along! You… you saved me. So many times…” _

_ Merlin blushed. “Well, yeah.” _

_ “Thank you, Merlin.” _

_ Merlin blinked at the unusual words. “I would do it all again if I had to, sire. I was being serious when I said that my magic is all for you.” _

* * *

Arthur smiled as he remembered Merlin’s words. He was so lucky to have such an amazing person by his side. The two of them slept soundly, the blonde curled protectively over the dark-haired boy, the latter smiling even in his sleep as he lay wrapped up in his lover’s embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AWWWW fluff galore. Also, have I already mentioned how much I love Gwen and Lance? No? Well, let me say it again. I LOVE BOTH OF THEM TO BITS AND PIECES THEY'RE LIKE THE MOST UNDERSTANDING, MOST ACCEPTING, BESTEST BABIES ON EARTH. OK, I'm done. I'm done. See y'all tomorrow for an awkward meet the in-laws encounter.
> 
> Also there was a How to Train Your Dragon 2 reference in here, as well as a teeny tiny Sherlock reference. 
> 
> No new wings in this chapter.


	15. Son of man, a man in time you’ll be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks for all of your comments, everyone! I try to keep up with them, but forgive me if I accidentally skip one or two, I'm not always notified that I have new ones.
> 
> Anyway, today's shoutouts include: Emrysmeanseternity, AsfaHan and HelaBarnes; and our honourable mentions are: Kitncat, FutureAlien, and Shazy_cat_1903. Chapter 7 is from Hercules, Chapter 12 is from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chapter 13 is from The Lion King and Chapter 14 is from Tangled. Thanks for participating in my guessing game! Only 4 more to go.
> 
> Enjoy :)

The two of them crept forward towards the entrance of the dark cave. Arthur at the helm, wings poised and ready, sword leading the way. Merlin kept a tight lid on his feelings: now was not the time to get emotional.

_ My father’s in there. _

Instead of delving deeper into his distracting thoughts, Merlin let his magic wash over him, lighting up his eyes. He let his magic branch out, sharpening his senses, allowing him to get a clear view of where their target was.

“He’s inside. Doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Just sitting there,” hissed Merlin in Arthur’s ear.

Arthur nodded briskly, before stepping into the dark. They inched towards the figure, who was crouched over a tiny fire, his hunched back and matted wings silhouetted in the warm light. Barely out of arm’s reach, Balinor still made no indication that he heard them. Then a deep gravely voice echoed throughout the cave.

“You may be powerful, boy, but your inexperience shows.” But instead of the voice coming from the figure ahead of them, it sounded behind Merlin, near the entrance of the cave. The boys whirled about, Arthur pulled Merlin behind him as his wings snapped open to their full eighteen feet, an intimidation tactic that seemed to have no effect on the man. Arthur raised his sword anyway.

“You. Balinor,” he said.

“You. Pendragon.” spat the dragonlord.

“Yes. Hello. Me, Merlin.” chirped Merlin from somewhere beyond Arthur’s wings. Balinor rustled his wings in what seemed like surprise.

“Now that we’re all introduced, can you explain how you did that?” he continued, pointing to where the illusion of Balinor was fading away behind him.

Balinor sighed and completely disregarded the prince’s sword as he walked past them to tend to his little flame.

“You can sense my magical signature. Didn’t you consider that I might also be able to sense yours? You have a great power residing in you, boy. But your stupidity may render it all useless. And as for the illusion, well, that’s simple magic.”

“Hey! He’s not stupid!” protested Arthur.

The dragonlord turned his brown eyes onto the blonde. “And you, little prince. Why have you come? And working with a sorcerer no less. What would your father think?” he sneered.

Merlin, sensing the rising tension, hurried to step forward. “You’re a dragonlord, right?” 

Balinor lowered his head. “I was.” His face flickered briefly, something akin to guilt and grief made the lines of his face deepen in the firelight. His wings slumped slightly as if they had suddenly lost their strength.

Merlin knelt in front of him, ignoring Arthur’s attempt to pull him back. “The Great Dragon is attacking Camelot.”

Balinor paused, studying the odd wingless sorcerer who chose to work with the son of his people’s butcher. Something in his azure eyes reminded Balinor of Hunith. His own merlin falcon wings tightened at the painful reminder of his love.

“His name is Kilgharrah.”

“Well, we can’t stop him. Only you, a dragonlord, can,” said Arthur, still standing a few meters away, out of self-preservation or to give Balinor space, Merlin wasn’t sure.

“He doesn’t act blindly. He kills for a reason.” He glared at Arthur. “Vengeance. This is of Uther’s making,” he growled.

“He’s killing innocent people: women and childr-” started Arthur.

“Uther pursued me! He hunted me like an animal!” Balinor’s voice rose in volume. He advanced on the prince.

Arthur held his ground. “I know.”

“What do you know about me,  _ your highness _ ? Your father asked me to use my power to bring the last dragon to Camelot. He said he wanted to make peace with it. But he did not. He lied to me! He betrayed me. You want me to protect this man? This pathetic excuse for a king?” barked Balinor, nose to nose with the prince.

“I want you to protect Camelot,” said Arthur.

“He killed every one of my kind! I, alone, escaped.”

Merlin spoke up. “Where did you go?”

Balinor blinked and turned to him. His entire body shifted. Less defensive, more defeated. “It was a place called Ealdor. I had a life there. A woman.” His wings opened slightly. Balinor carded a finger through his wing absently. “A good woman. A soulmate.”

Arthur stepped round Balinor and crouched beside Melin, taking his hand. Balinor ignored him and focused his eyes on the blue ones that reminded him so much of Hunith. “Ealdor is beyond Uther’s realm, but still he pursued me.”

He turned his attention to Uther’s son. “Why would he not let me be? What was it that I had done? That he wanted to destroy the life I’d built? Abandon the woman I loved?” Merlin squeezed Arthur’s hand.

“He sent knights to kill me. I was forced to come here, to this!” he paused. “So I understand how Kilgharrah feels. He’s lost every one of his kind, every one of his kin. Do you want to know how that feels? Look around. Let Uther die. Let Camelot fall.” he finished.

Arthur bowed his head, but Merlin was the one who responded. “You want everyone in Camelot to die.”

“Why should I care?”

Merlin swallowed. “What if one of them was your son?”

Balinor paused. He looked heartbroken for a moment. “I don’t have a son.”

“You spoke of Ealdor. You took refuge with a woman.” hurried Merlin.

“That was a long time ago.”

“I grew up there.” Merlin thought he could see a spark of hope in Balinor’s eyes. “I know the woman.”

Balinor’s voice grew softer, lighter. “Hunith?” he breathed. “She’s still alive?”

“Yes. She’s my mother,” said Merlin. Arthur’s hand in his tightened reassuringly. 

“Then she married.” Balinor’s shoulders slumped, wings trailing in the dirt. “That’s good.”

“She never married,” said Merlin. “I’m your son.” 

Balinor’s eyes searched Merlin's. A long moment passed, only the crackling of the fire and their breathing could be heard. Finally, “I don’t know what it is to have a son.” said Balinor, his voice husky with emotion.

“Or I, a father,” smiled Merlin, eyes wet. Arthur’s steady presence beside him anchored Merlin against the tide of his emotions.

Balinor knelt in front of his son, and for the first time in both their lives, father and son embraced each other.

* * *

The next day, while Merlin prepared the food for luncheon, Balinor and Arthur searched the forest for firewood.

“I am not my father you know.”

Balinor turned to face him. The blue wings glowing in the sunlight. “It is strange: the son of Uther, whose hatred of magic knows no bounds, in love with the son of a dragonlord, who's magic is potentially limitless. And yet, the love between you two is clearer than glass.”

Arthur flushed bright red, wings drawing tighter around himself in embarrassment. “How did you know we - uh, I mean-”

Merlin’s father let out a small chuckle. “It’s obvious. The hand-holding?” he raised an eyebrow.

The blonde ducked his head bashfully. “Oh. Yeah.”

“You obviously care for him, and you make him happy. Also, you seem to have a very different view on magic to your father,” said Balinor, inspecting a fallen branch.

“Merlin will always come first for me. He was the one who educated me on the true nature of magic. I trust him more than anyone.” said Arthur.

“I know.” Balinor clapped Arthur on the shoulder briefly. “Now, come. We must eat quickly. It is a long journey back to Camelot.”

Arthur’s head shot up. “You mean…”

Balinor nodded. “Yes. I will come with you to Camelot. Kilgharrah must be stopped. If not for the sake of your people, then for the sake of my son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Operation: Meet The In-Law(s) is a success! Aaaand next chapter is gonna be a tear-jerker because the Merlin writers like to dangle happiness in front of us then snatch it away. I feel like a disgruntled cat.
> 
> No new wings in this chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know what's coming. Get the tissues. Here we go.

Merlin slept well, a tiny smile etched onto his face, as he dreamed of the conversation he shared with his father that night. He dreamed of his mother’s reaction when he will bring his father back home to Ealdor. He dreamed of them being happy, as a family. Of course, that was not to last.

* * *

Merlin woke slowly, and the first thing he saw was the little dragon carving Balinor had made for him. He smiled goofily. _I have a father!_

Suddenly, Arthur’s hand clamped over his mouth, muffling his yelp of shock. “Cenred’s men.” The two of them scrambled up into sitting position, before Arthur drew his sword, wings tense and ready. Merlin passed a sword to his father, before loosely gripping one himself, but it didn’t matter. His magic would protect him better than any sword could.

A great cry reverberated through the woods, as the first of Cenred’s guards charged at the trio. Arthur launched into the air, stabbing into the man swiftly. Balinor, who was out of practice in using his wings in combat, remained on the ground with Merlin, who was clumsily blocking blows with his sword while tripping his opponents with magic and causing tree branches to fall on their heads. Habit, you know? Also, it wouldn’t do for the men to go back to Cenred reporting of a warlock working with the Prince of Camelot.

While Arthur distracted the majority of the guards, flying above the treeline and duelling multiple opponents midair, Balinor and Merlin worked on taking out the men on the ground.

Cenred’s men seemed to sense that Merlin was the weakest of the bunch in terms of physical strength, so three of them began to advance on him. Merlin used a tricky balance of magic and manpower to hold off the men, but unbeknownst to him, a fourth man crept up behind him.

Meanwhile, Balinor had just dispatched the last of his foes when he spotted his son’s position. His eyes widened in the realisation that Merlin was in deadly danger, and with adrenaline rushing through his body, he pushed off the ground and flew to his son’s aid.

Merlin had succeeded in taking out one of the three men when suddenly he felt someone shove him out of the way.

He lay on the floor in shock as he watched as his father take the sword that was originally meant for him.

Balinor gasped as the metal exited his body, and Merlin caught him in his arms as he began to fall. Rage turned his vision red, but his eyes gold, and he let out a bellow of grief. All of Cenred’s men in a ten-foot radius were blasted out by a wave of pure magic. Sickening crunches could be heard as they made contact with rocks and trees, but Merlin paid no attention to them.

Merlin gently lay his father on the leafy ground and pressed desperately on his wound. Balinor wheezed weakly. “Merlin.”

“Please, no, please…” begged Merlin, tearfully. “I can save you.”

But Balinor grasped his face in his hand and shook him slightly. “Listen to me. When you face… when you face the dragon. You must be strong. A dragon’s h-heart is on its ri-ght side. Not… not its left.” his voice was strained and weak.

“I can’t do this,” cried Merlin.

“Listen to me! You’re my son,” said Balinor. “I’ve seen e-enough in you to know that you will make me proud.”

Merlin nodded shakily. Balinor smiled faintly one last time before his eyes rolled up into his head and his hand on Merlin’s cheek fell limp.

The keening noise that escaped Merlin went unheard in his sadness, as he slowly closed his father’s brown unseeing eyes with his pale fingers.

A flapping noise sounded behind him, as well as the rustling of disturbed leaves on the forest floor as Arthur landed. He stared in shock as he watched Merlin cry over the dead body of his father.

A particularly harsh sob tore through the dark-haired boy, and Arthur stepped forward to pull him off the cooling body and into his warm embrace. He hushed Merlin softly, stroking his hair and kissing the crown of his head as Merlin beat his fists on Arthur’s toned chest.

“I’m so sorry, Merlin,” he whispered. Merlin did not reply. He just turned his head into Arthur and allowed him to wrap Merlin up within the safety of his wings, shielding him from the sight of Balinor’s body.

* * *

Arthur steered Merlin towards the wooden bench in Gaius’s chambers. Gaius himself was already in the room, puttering about and bringing out a mild calming draught for him. Gwen, Morgana and Lancelot hovered anxiously behind the couple and continued to stand listlessly behind them as Merlin downed the liquid in one gulp. Gwen, sweet, kind-hearted Guinevere took one of Merlin’s hands and asked him softly, “Merlin, what happened?”

“I couldn’t save him,” said Merlin quietly, his hands running all over the little carved dragon. His only physical reminder of his father. Arthur put a warm hand on his shoulder. Lancelot mirrored his friend and placed his own hand on Merlin’s other shoulder.

“Oh, Merlin,” said Morgana, green eyes sad. She took his other hand, her thumb moving in reassuring circles on the back, soothing him.

Bolstered by their company, Merlin spoke again. “He said the dragonlord’s gift is passed from father to son.”

Gaius sat opposite his ward and nodded solemnly. “That is true.”

“When I faced the great dragon, my magic was useless.”

In a soft voice, gentle and caring, Gaius said, “Your father wasn’t dead. It’s only then when you can inherit his powers.”

“Do you think I’m strong enough to stand up to him?” Merlin asked.

“Only time will tell,” replied Gaius.

In an unspoken cue, Arthur, Lancelot, Gwen, Morgana, and Gaius spread open their wings and cocooned Merlin in a shield of gold, rainbow, raven and grey feathers. Merlin finally let out a brief smile at his family’s attempts to cheer him up. And that smile, no matter how small, was considered a victory to everyone in the room, that maybe, _maybe_ , things will get better.

* * *

Arthur Pendragon was many things. A prince. A dollophead. A knight. A prat. A leader. A clotpole. But he was by no means a coward.

And yet, and yet…

_I’m going to die._

_It’s hopeless._

_Camelot is doomed._

The Crown Prince of Camelot watched as his men were burned alive by the heat of the dragon’s fury. Beside him, Merlin trembled in his saddle.

_I must be strong. For Merlin._

“Charge!” Arthur spurred his horse into a gallop. He heard the remainder of his men do the same. Spears and swords aloft, the knights of Camelot bore down on the beast.

_Its heart is on the right. Its heart is on the right. Its heart is on the right._

His spear made contact with a thick hide, and to his surprise, it pierced through. The dragon roared in pain.

Then, out of nowhere, the dragon’s tail whipped around and swept the knights away like a child kicking a stone on the street. Arthur was knocked a good thirty feet away.

_Ow. Ow, that sucked._

“Arthur!” _Merlin!_

Arthur hurried to sit up, but when he moved too quickly, his head pounded in protest, stars flickering across his vision. He could only watch in horror as the dragon advanced on him.

Time dragged to a halt as the dragon’s maw opened wide, intending to crush Arthur’s entire world in its teeth. And just as the jaws snapped shut, Arthur screamed.

And the entire world exploded with white light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe...
> 
> So, I did mention that I liked cliffhangers, right? Because I do. And I use them. Liberally.
> 
> No new wings in this chapter. See you tomorrow for the last instalment! *sniffs in bittersweet*


	17. Think of the happiest things, it's the same as having wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is the last day. *sobs* This chapter is much shorter because I have a lot of stuff to say in the endnotes. A lot of explaining to do. Please stick around to read them, the story will still make sense if you don't but it would be better if you do read them.
> 
> Today's shoutouts include Emrysmeanseternity (chapter 15 - Tarzan).
> 
> I just want to say I love all your theories, and I find them all fascinating!!!

_Hey. Come on, that's enough._

_What?_

_You had your fun, my friend._

_Do I know you?_

_I'm Merlin._

_So I don't know you._

* * *

_I could have you in jail for that._

_Who do you think you are, the king?_

_No, I'm his son. Arthur._

* * *

_I could take you apart with one blow._

_I could take you apart with less than that._

* * *

_Well, you are a massive clotpole, but sometimes, in rare moments, I find that I can tolerate your presence._

_'Clotpole' isn't a real word, Merlin. And maybe. Maybe, I can tolerate you too. Sometimes._

* * *

_Merlin, thank you._

_For what, Arthur?_

_For taking care of me._

_Don't worry, I will always take care of you._

* * *

_I love you, Merlin._

_I love you, too, Arthur._

* * *

_And I love you. Wings or no wings. Soulmate or no soulmate. You’re_ mine _. You belong to_ me _. And I to you. I will never let you go. And I hope… and I hope you’ll never let_ me _go._

* * *

When Arthur came to, he was crying. Great streams of tears ran down his cheeks, twin unbroken rivers. His heart hurt. It rebelled in his ribcage, beating furiously against the walls of its container.

_Alive. I'm alive._

When he opened his eyes, Merlin was standing right where Arthur last saw him, the dragon nowhere to be found. Arthur’s eyes grew to be as wide as saucers.

“M-Merlin?”

The warlock turned his head to smile at his prince. “Arthur.”

“That’s… that’s impossible. You… _How_ _?_ ” he stammered. 

“Magic, Arthur. I guess when I unlocked my dragonlord powers, I unlocked something else as well.”

Arthur stood on trembling legs. Like a sleepwalker, he stumbled over to Merlin, eyes greedily drinking in Merlin’s figure.

“Merlin… You have _wings!_ ” breathed Arthur.

Merlin smirked and flapped his wings a little, enough that he could perform a midair twirl. Although, he’s still Merlin, so he tripped over his feet when he landed.

He laughed. “Still getting used to them.”

There were four of them, like Arthur’s. But instead of golden feathers, instead of feathers _at all_ , they were made out of translucent, iridescent crystal. When they shifted, they made sweet little chiming noises, like bells. As the moonlight pierced through the wings, they refracted the silver light into hundreds of tinier moonbeams, speckling the grass below them. Somehow, what was supposed to be rigid crystal flowed just as naturally as water, shifting fluidly like regular pair of feathered wings.

Arthur took them in slowly, inspecting every inch of them. He met Merlin’s eyes. “They’re amazing!” he said. Merlin smiled bashfully.

“The only fault I find with them is that they don’t match mine,” said Arthur. _I suppose we’re not soulmates after all._

Merlin laughed. “Arthur, do you know why people have matching wings?”

He frowned. “To help them find their soulmate, of course.”

Leaning forward, Merlin took Arthur’s hands. “Why would I need matching wings when I already found you? Think about it. Everyone’s been telling us that we’re two halves of the same coin, that our destinies are linked, that there is a prophecy about the Once and Future King, and Emrys, the warlock who protects him. What other indications do we need?” The warlock cupped the prince’s jaw tenderly. “We don’t need confirmation. I _choose_ you, Arthur Pendragon. I choose to be your soulmate.”

“You’re right,” laughed Arthur. “You’re right.” He kissed him. “My love,” another kiss, “My Merlin,” and another, “My _soulmate._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanation. Whew ok, here we go.
> 
> Arthur's evolution
> 
> Arthur's original wings were that of a white goshawk with golden primaries due to the magic involved in his birth. His wings changed because, in that scene with Nimueh, he realised the true nature of magic and was finally open to accepting it, as well as starting on his journey to unite Albion and fulfil his destiny. Basically think of it as Arthur reaching his full potential: his title may still be 'Prince', but after that moment, he became a king.
> 
> Merlin's crystal wings
> 
> So the reason why I wanted Merlin to have crystal wings is that he is not exactly human: he is the living embodiment of magic. His soul is not the same as any other human, even Arthur. He is literally a creature of magic, so his wings would show that, by being made of the same material as the crystals in the cave from episode 3x05.
> 
> Are Arthur and Merlin really soulmates?
> 
> I deliberately made it so Arthur and Merlin did not have the same wings. I wanted them to acknowledge that they might not be, but choose to make it work anyway. This is because, in real life, people don't have wings to tell us if that's our soulmate or not, we just choose a person and put effort into the relationship in order to make it work. I was kind of tired of all those soulmate fanfics having the main pairing be confirmed soulmates, so it's a guarantee that their relationship will work out. For once, I wanted the main pairing to not have that security, but love each other enough to try for a relationship. So, the answer is maybe. However, if a prophecy is written about the two of you, you can probably safely assume that, yes, you were meant to be together :)


	18. Epilogue ~ Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling, through an endless diamond sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it. The last chapter. I just want to thank everyone for joining me on this adventure. However, this story is not over! I have decided to add a couple of one-shots that take place within this same universe: if you have any favourite Merlin episodes you want to request, just let me know in the comments below, and I'll get right on it (if my schedule allows *crosses fingers*). I already have a few lined up: 1x02 "Valiant", 1x05 "Lancelot", 2x04 "Lancelot and Guinevere", 2x05/06 "The Beauty and the Beast" part 1 and 2, 2x07 "The Witchfinder", 2x09 "The Lady of the Lake", 2x12 "The Fires of Idirsholas". I might also do some drabbles after the season 2 finale, which would be completely non-canon.
> 
> Alright. I just want to say it again: thank you guys, and I purple you! (It's a BTS thing.) Enjoy :)

It had been three years since the Great Dragon’s rampage on Camelot, and since, the late King Uther had passed on from natural causes, as Arthur had promised. His passing brought both relief and sorrow to Arthur because, despite all of Uther’s mistakes, he was still Arthur’s father. Arthur waited the appropriate amount of time before slowly instigating the long process of rectifying his father’s crimes.

Magic was made legal again one year after Uther’s death, with just and fair restrictions on what it would be used for. Magic-folk returned to Camelot a few months later, once word got out that Emrys and the Once and Future King had brought justice to the land. It was a special day when a herd of unicorns was found wandering around the forest just outside the city, completely at ease with the knights that found them.

Gaius was given a raise. God knew he deserved it. He had stared at Merlin with an expression of utter shock, grey wings slack with surprise when he returned to Camelot with his new crystal wings. Merlin had delighted in the uncharacteristic look on his face and vowed to never let his mentor forget it.

Hunith moved into one of the rooms in the castle as per Merlin’s request. Mother and son had spent many hours talking about Balinor long into the night. Merlin more often than not returned to his and Arthur’s shared rooms with dried tear tracks on his face, but with a contented smile.

Morgana remained in Camelot, living peacefully and learning from Merlin and Gaius about her developing magic. Nowadays, she would act as the magical ambassador on Arthur’s behalf, and travel to druid camps, educating herself, and by extension the people of Camelot on magic and its properties. She gained the nickname of the “Raven Angel” when she visited the children in the druid camps for the first time. Later, after Uther’s death, it was revealed that she was Arthur’s half-sister, but Morgana was content with her role in bettering Camelot, so she made no attempt to covet the throne.

Lancelot and Gwen were married a few weeks after the dragon - the wedding was celebrated by all. The bonding of the soulmates pertained a night of partying and a lot of drinking, leaving half of Camelot drunk and the other half sighing over the newlywed couple. Some did both. Like Arthur. Merlin had a great time corralling the drunken, romanticising blonde into bed, as he gushed about what a beautiful couple they were. (Merlin made sure to tell them the next day exactly what Arthur had said, much to Arthur’s great hungover embarrassment.) A few weeks later, Lancelot and Gwen announced that they were expecting their first child, and thus, another spontaneous party was thrown in their honour.

At Gwen and Lancelot’s wedding, Gwen managed to convince her brother Elyan (who had the wings of a great horned owl) to come. He brought along his two friends, Gwaine and Percival, who were a soulmated couple with matching bald eagle wings. By the end of the night, Arthur, Lancelot, Sir Leon, Elyan, Gwain and Percival were inseparable, and thus began the tradition of the Round Table.

And as for Merlin and Arthur, well…

* * *

The warlock was dressed in a navy blue tunic and pants, with black knee-high leather boots. The cloak he wore matched the fabric of his tunic, with a navy outer layer and a silver underlayer. Both his cloak and his tunic had a silver pattern lining the hems. At a closer look, you would be able to see that the pattern was in actuality runes and spells, stitched into the fabric of his clothes. Above his collar, on his shirt, was a great silver brocade, with the same pattern that adorned the trim of his tunic. A black leather belt was fastened around his waist, accentuating Merlin’s naturally slim physique. 

Merlin’s wings fluttered ever so slightly with nerves. The constant movement and the streaming sunlight caused his wings to glow with a whole spectrum of colours - like they were made of the clearest of stained glass. The distorted light made Merlin take on an ethereal quality.

Arthur thought he looked dashing. And rightly so, for their wedding. Arthur, of course, wore his usual chainmail, cloak, and crown.

“By the sacred laws vested in me, I crown you, Merlin, the King’s Consort.”

Arthur stood on the dais above his love, and slowly lowered the silver crown onto Merlin’s head. He smiled warmly at his newly crowned consort and helped Merlin stand. He kissed him lovingly as the crowd thundered, “Long live King Arthur! Long live Lord Merlin!”

_ Yes, _ thought Arthur happily, smiling into the kiss,  _ Long live Lord Merlin. _

**The End.**

* * *

Elyan: Great Horned Owl

Gwaine and Percival: Bald Eagle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Merlin are married, so are Gwen and Lance and they are expecting a little chick of their own UwU, Morgana is being the badass she always is, Gaius can finally take a breath, Uther is dead (yay), Hunith is fine, the Knights of the Round Table are a thing (aka Arthur's drinking buddies), and magic is legal. All is well. The world is right. See, Merlin writers? This is how you do it.
> 
> *inhales... exhales* One last time guys. Here we go. 
> 
> Wings Key ~ In order of appearance:
> 
> Elyan: Great Horned Owl
> 
> "Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. You may see them at dusk sitting on fence posts or tree limbs at the edges of open areas, or flying across roads or fields with stiff, deep beats of their rounded wings. Their call is a deep, stuttering series of four to five hoots." I always think of Elyan of being someone who is quiet yet observant, and when he does speak, he does so profoundly. He just gives me the same vibe as this owl. 
> 
> My source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id
> 
> Gwaine and Percival: Bald Eagle
> 
> Of course, I ship these two. Who doesn't?
> 
> "One of the largest birds in North America." I always think Percy is the true definition of a gentle giant. Also, "You'll find Bald Eagles soaring high in the sky, flapping low over treetops with slow wingbeats, or perched in trees or on the ground", they fly in a variety of ways, and Percival is definitely not a one-trick pony. As for Gwaine... "Bald Eagles scavenge many meals by harassing other birds or by eating carrion or garbage." IS THIS NOT GWAINE? IS IT NOT?
> 
> My source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/bald_eagle/id
> 
> OK, that it for now guys. Stay safe and healthy, and have a great day!
> 
> ~ KookieDoh <3


End file.
